Through A Looking Glass
by EiDa
Summary: Hermione Granger believes only what her eyes can see. Draco Malfoy knows there's another side to every story. Pitched in an inevitable alliance, the two sworn archenemies realize the neccessity of viewing the world beyond the looking glass. Read & Review!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: First of all, hi people!!! Just so you know, this is something I wrote a year and a half ago. I know, I know.you're probably thinking what took me that long to upload this fanfic. But who cares anyway?? The thing is, this is a very old fanfic. I wrote it even before I saw the movie so generally, you might find some things a bit out of line. But anyway, I wrote it the best way I can, so I hope you enjoy! By the way, this is how I imagined the fifth book would turn out so the plot is basically Harry Potter-ish. DO TRY TO REVIEW!!! On a last note, to those of you who have read this fic before and are now wondering profusely why the heck am I uploading it again.the answer is simple: Fanfiction.net screwed up my first fic!  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter I - Mr. Weasley's Big Break  
  
  
  
"Oi Harry, are you coming?" came Ron's voice from downstairs.  
  
Harry had been long awake and is perfectly aware that breakfast is already being served at the Weasley's table but he just sat there at Ron's bed, staring at his face in the mirror. Instead of the usual skinny boy with a lightning scar on the forehead, a flat nosed, pale-skinned wizard stared back at him-his red slit-like eyes boring down on him as if it could go right through him.  
  
Harry blinked hard and tried to shove the horrid vision away. He had just awoken from a terrible nightmare of hissing cauldrons and chanting figures and he found it not easy at all to forget.  
  
Possibly everything from odd to extremely strange had been occurring after Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts. Harry had never imagined actually leaving the Dursley's to be in the Burrow, the Weasley's home. But much to his surprise, he was allowed by Professor Dumbledore to spend this vacation with Ron after Arthur Weasley was promoted as chief of the Magical Community's Defense Against the Black Arts League. But even weirder, until now, Lord Voldemort still hadn't shown any sign that would cause the magical community to panic. Ever since his rise to power, no attacks or plans of attack had been discovered except Voldemort's fresh attempt to kill Harry. Even the Dark Eaters Harry swore he saw within the Dark Lord's circle weren't doing anything odd enough to raise an eyebrow. And to Harry, this is most alarming. Dumbledore seems to read his mind though, as he preferred to keep Harry in the company of a wizard family and the Defense Against the Dark Arts' chief instead of the muggles.  
  
Many times during Harry's stay in the Burrow did he wake up like this- shaking with beads of cold sweat trickling down his face. Scenes from the old graveyard still haunts him in his sleep-the familiar chilly laugh, the hooded figures, and Cedric's death.  
  
"Harry, what's taking you so long?" came Hermione's voice from the door.  
  
Harry almost fell of his seat. He turned around and tried to focus his eyes on the figure at the door. He heaved a sigh as he recognized the form to be of his other bestfriend Hemione's and not of the Dark Lord's again. She had just arrived at the Burrow after buying her school supplies at Diagon Alley and was there to catch the Hogwarts Express with them.  
  
Harry glimpsed a very worried look in her face and quickly muttered "Nothing".  
  
She wasn't convinced though as she sat down beside him and stared in silence. Harry watched the almond-haired girl beside him and tried to look her straight in the eye.  
  
"I'm fine really."  
  
This was useless as it just made her chestnut iris narrow, surveying Harry as if it could see right through him. Harry looked away. Lately, he didn't feel like telling her any of his dreams and a part of him was quite annoyed that she just wouldn't go away.  
  
"Harry, you could tell me." Hermione piped in.  
  
Harry still kept silent. He knew he could tell Hermione anything but it just wouldn't do any good. There is just nothing she could do about it.  
  
"I'm hungry, aren't you?" He said suddenly, standing up.  
  
Hermione stared at him again with her You're-Being-Stubborn look but just sighed and followed his lead.  
  
"Sure. If you're really fine.took you ages to go down." she muttered under her breath.  
  
They hurried down the stairs and the nice aroma of Molly's cooking filled their nostrils. Hermione sat beside an extremely happy Ron and Harry sat at her other side. Fred and George were busy comparing notes with each other, not minding the very irritated took on Mrs. Weasley's face. Harry had obviously known how Mrs. Weasley disapproved of the twins' plan of establishing their own joke shop. But thanks to Harry's Triwizard winnings, Fred and George have finally managed to build their dream joke shop (Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Co.) three blocks to the right of the infamous Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.  
  
Harry shifted at his seat as Molly started serving them breakfast. She outdid herself this time as the breakfast was yet the best Harry had ever tested.  
  
"This stuff is really good Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione complemented from Harry's side.  
  
"Of course Hermione, Dad has a fat salary now so we get to have better sorts of food." said Ron between hearty munches.  
  
Harry grinned. Not that he thought Mrs. Weasley's cooking was better now than when they were poor, it was just nice that Ron could now get his eyes off Harry's new things and start feeling happy about his own.  
  
Just then, a tawny owl came hopping on the table, splashing milk at Ron's front.  
  
"Pigwidgeon!" Ron scowled snatching what unmistakably were their letters from Hogwarts.  
  
"Here" he said throwing Harry's and Hermione's envelopes.  
  
Hermione's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. "The N.E.W.T. exams are due in the fourth month of school? This is impossible! It's too early! There isn't enough time to study." she muttered, scanning the letter for other notices.  
  
"Oh that's because the ministry desperately needs help in the Defense Against The Dark Arts League as soon as possible." Arthur Weasley explained.  
  
"What do you mean by "as soon as possible" Mr. Weasley?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Oh no, honey. Don't tell me that the ministry wants those students who might pass the N.E.W.Ts to join the League against You-Know-Who even before school ends!" Mrs. Weasley interrupted looking enraged.  
  
"I'm afraid that's the idea dear. But you see with You-Know-Who lurking around, we really don't have much choice. And besides, the tests would be extremely difficult this time to make sure that only those with exceptional skills could qualify..." Arthur was saying when Molly pounded on the table looking very red in the cheeks.  
  
"This is ridiculous! Absolutely absurd! And not to mention, extremely dangerous. I don't know how Dumbledore ever approved of this. . ." she was saying while Harry glanced over at Hermione. She was again searching her parchment with an absorbed look in her face. He noticed that Ron was also staring at her with a look that was very hard to read. His face seemed to shift from what seems to be fury and anxiety then back. Harry could see that he was trying his best to consider his words but when his voice came out, it was full of urgency and demand.  
  
"Hermione, you aren't possibly considering taking them, right? I mean it's too hard for anyone-not even you." Ron said his voice quite higher than usual.  
  
To Harry's opinion, anything that is labeled extremely difficult is as exciting to Hermione as Quidditch. And besides, he was a hundred percent sure she would pass the test. He wasn't surprised at all when Hermione shot a quick "course I am". What did surprise him was Ron's reaction. He stood up clenching and unclenching his fists, looking extremely horrified.  
  
"You can't take that test Hermione! The moment you do, they'd be ditching you out to get killed!" Ron burst out.  
  
"No they won't, silly! And besides, won't you be glad to finally be able to help those people who got wind of You-know-who? The Diggory's for instance, the Longbottoms...and Harry here!" Hemione was saying when Ron cut in.  
  
"Why do you have to do the saving anyway? Too good to let other people do the job eh? Thanks, but no thanks. Harry doesn't need your saving. He did kicked You-know-who's ass for four times already y'know" barked Ron, stark red.  
  
"What are you trying to say Ron? Oh this is stupid... I shouldn't have brought the topic up..." she was muttering as Ron looked at Harry for help.  
  
  
  
"Umm.Hermione" Harry started, prodding her at the back. "I don't look like someone who'd really need watching over, do l?"  
  
Harry forced a grin. Hermione glared at him.  
  
"How could you say that! You don't even know half the spells the Defense League do!" Hermione shrieked.  
  
"And neither do you!" piped Ron, looking angrier than ever.  
  
"I don't know why you always have to pretend to know it all! Everyone knows you don't stand a chance on those tests. . ."  
  
Harry knew Ron had hit the mark that time. There's just no way telling Hermione that she's not good at something without a fight.  
  
"Sure I do, and for you Ron, I'd make sure I top it!" shouted Hermione storming out of the kitchen.  
  
"The guts." Ron stammered before slipping the other way.  
  
For a moment, Harry just stood there with mouth open. It took a while before he noticed the whole Weasley lot gaping at him. He was quite relieved when Ginny chose the moment to drop her glass.  
  
"Oops, sorry." she said distractedly as Mr. Weasley helped her pick up the shards of glass.  
  
"Oh, well. There goes Ron-that stupid prat! Imagine hanging on Hermione's neck like that! Talk about Pah-the-tic!" Fred mocked.  
  
"One really nosey git. Forget about them Harry. They'll get over their little love fight." George said.  
  
"They'll get over it, sweetie." hushed Mrs. Weasley, a little of the horrified look still reflected in her face.  
  
But Harry thought otherwise. He had a bad feeling that this was going to be for a long, long time. 


	2. The Surprise Request

A/N: First, I'd like to apologize for my lame start-chap.1. I just tried following the way Rowling started all her books. Anyway, I promise things will speed up in chapter 3! And hopefully, you'd still stick around to read it. Please review! Thanks!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2 - The Surprise Request  
  
  
  
On the darker side of the wizarding community, farthest possible from the Burrow, stood a majestic manor of black marble. Green lights emanated from all of its rooms, giving it an eerie, mysterious aura. It is in one of this manor's hollow corridors that a pale-faced boy of about seventeen years stood-his silvery blond hair framing his face and hiding his cold, gray eyes-an exact copy of Lucius Malfoy's appearance. He was squinting hard in the shadows, trying to make out any figure in the crypt ahead him. He was pleased to know that his Father wanted a word with him since it had been quite a time now since he last conversed with him. Lucius had been out of the manor most of the time and when he is actually in it, he usually descended the dungeons below where Draco was forbidden to go.  
  
It has been nearly an hour of waiting and Draco's enthusiasm was already wearing out. Many times, he was tempted to step forward in the dark crypt, but always thought against it. He understood that his mother had reasons for not allowing him to enter the place. And he dare not risk it.  
  
Finally, there was movement in the shadows.  
  
"You called for me Father?" Draco started.  
  
"Ahh yes, Draco. Come with me and hurry" came Lucius' voice coming out of the dark.  
  
The way his father bid him to hurry irked Draco. He had been waiting there for over an hour in the cold and he tells him to hurry? How convenient of him. But he tried to keep up with his pace anyway.  
  
"You know the N.E.W.T. exams are fast approaching, Draco?" Lucius asked.  
  
"Yes. But I don't give a damn. Such waste of time." Draco was saying when Lucius stopped dead in his tracks and faced him-his cold eyes turning into little slits.  
  
"What is wrong with that? I'd rather die than strut around protecting Potter." Draco defended.  
  
"Ah, of course, my son would rather be a god-forsaken criminal than be part of the most elite team in the ministry."  
  
"I can easily pass the test if I wish, I just don't want to be in service of stinking Potter! I don't see what's so wrong with that?!" Draco retorted through gritted teeth, clearly incensed by Lucius' belittling.  
  
"Well then" Lucius said slowly. "I - wish - that - you - pass - the - test" he hissed, carefully marking out every word. He stared at Draco with little slits of stone-cold, gray eyes. And, after seeing the blanched look in the latter's face, he stifled a mirthless laugh.  
  
"God knows you could do with some more curses." he said finally, before slipping in one of the rooms.  
  
Draco just stood there for quite a while, anger surging through his veins. His father hadn't called him to listen after all. He simply asked for his son to do his bidding! And worse, he had once again condemned Draco for not living up to be as great as him.  
  
"As great as he thinks he is." Draco hissed under his breath, turning around the comer in a swish of his black coat. As much as he hated doing favors for his father, he had no other choice but to obey. The way Lucius had marked those words, slowly and dangerously, told Draco that he is in for huge trouble if he fails to comply.  
  
"Why though? Why would his father want him in that hell hole?" Draco mused. Then after finding it useless to try to uncover his father's way of thinking, he focused his thoughts on the more pressing matter. His lips twisted in a nasty grin.  
  
"I might just have some use for you Granger..." Draco said, wryly. 


	3. Hubbub in the Hogwarts Express

A/N: Okay, so this is still a load of introductory stuff. I'm really sorry. I know I said things are bound to speed up in chap. 3 but I guess I made a mistake. Anyway, just breeze through this chapter and the next and I promise Hermione and Draco will finally get to sink their claws into each other! I swear!!! Try to read and review! Thanks!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 3 - Hubbub in the Hogwarts Express  
  
  
  
To Harry's relief, Ron and Hermione was able to board the Hogwarts Express without doing much damage to each other, except if you'd count shoving each other harder than necessary in the barrier that separated muggle London and the magical Platform Nine and Three Quarters. They were able to settle themselves inside a large cabin instead of their usual place at the train's tail-to Ron's request.  
  
"Y'know, this is what really suits us, Harry. Not that smelly rat hole at the train's end" he said in a highly satisfied tone.  
  
Harry, grinned and he thought he heard Hermione snort at his side but said nothing. And just when Harry was starting to take the silence as a definite sign of maturity, the door of their cabin slid open. And not to Harry's surprise, Draco Malfoy stood there with his equally sour looking cronies, Crabbe and yes, Goyle. Harry's hands were ready to shut the door at their faces when Ron started speaking.  
  
"Oh, if it isn't Malfoy and Grabbe and Coyle...umm,did I get that right? Sorry, but I don't see your names in my Priority List of Friends here." he said after unrolling a piece of parchment from his pocket.  
  
Draco's face darkened but to their surprise, he did nothing. He settled on giving Ron a murderous stare and hissed in a very low tone, "You seem to have finally had your hands on a few coins Weasley.but I bet you won't feel any richer than a rat after I'm done with you, muck."  
  
"Oh yeah?" snapped Ron pulling out his new 1 3 inches birch wood wand. There was sudden movement in the cabin as everyone scrambled to get away from the two. But before Ron could do as much as raise his wand, Hermione quickly tugged him away with her right arm with her other hand placed on the tip of his wand.  
  
"No magic in the train, Ron" she said, her voice shaking a bit.  
  
Harry could see the reason for Hermione's panic-stricken expression. After observing Ron more closely, he noticed that his face was not only burning red but also seething with finality. He was wearing an expression of absolute defiance and looked ready to blow Malfoy to smithereens.  
  
For an instant, Harry thought he saw Draco's eyes flick to Hermione. Then after a very tense second, he finally stepped back and bid them goodbye by saying, "We'll meet again Weasley and next time you won't be having Granger to save your neck". With that, he slid out of the cabin, not bothering to close the door. Silence ensued in the cabin as everyone waited until Draco's footsteps can no longer be heard.  
  
"What did you do that for, Hermione?" Ron barked, breaking the silence. He was looking at Hermione with scathing.  
  
"I...thought you were really going to curse Malfoy" she stammered, shifting uncomfortably at the look Ron was giving her.  
  
"And I was!!! Had you left me to my own business! God, I don't know why you always need to be in the spotlight." Ron snapped, storming out of the cabin himself.  
  
"I can't believe this." Hermione muttered incoherently. Harry moved closer to pat her at the back but she stopped his hand in mid-air.  
  
"Don't touch me, Harry. I don't need your help. The first person who needs it just walked out this door." Hermione spat. "Unbelievable.", she said again.  
  
Harry couldn't help but agree with her. It really was unbelievable-Malfoy not fighting back and Ron bursting out like that.  
  
"Expect Malfoy to thrash things up." he said to himself, trying to shove away the nagging feeling that this has something to do more on Ron's attitude a while ago than anything.  
  
The Hogwarts Express continued on its slow pace until Hogwarts was finally in view. Ron was careful to keep out of Harry and Hermione's company the whole ride and contented himself in watching Neville scramble after his very old-looking Trevor. Now that he had thought about it, he started feeling that what he just did was not worth it. But the problem was, he didn't feel much of apologizing or anything either. He was moments away from finally cursing that git Malfoy but thanks to Hermione, he wasn't even able to touch the ends of his filthy hair.  
  
"Why can't she just leave us alone" Ron muttered to himself as Trevor almost dove out of the train's window in desperation to get out of Neville's grasp.  
  
"Hey Ron, are you coming or what?" shouted Harry squeezing himself through the crowd that was rushing to get out of the train.  
  
Ron smiled. "Well, at least Harry is still talking to me" he thought, feeling a bit better. He scrambled to get his trunk and left the still distraught-looking Neville to go to Harry. They walked towards the massive horse-less carriage for the short trip to Hogwarts and for a fleeting moment, Harry thought Ron and Hermione were on speaking terms again as they both stared at each other for a while. But Ron just shrugged and stepped in the carriage leaving him and Hermione on the pedestal.  
  
Hermione sighed. "Great. So he's still being stubborn. I don't know why I even bothered waiting for him here" Hermione spat, scrambling up the carriage.  
  
This concluded Harry's thoughts of a dreaded term. With Ron and Hermione not speaking again and with him caught in the middle of the war, things just couldn't get better for a long time. 


	4. Squabbles

A/N: Just breeze through this chapter, breeze through! It's just a little something to help patch up my plot in the later chapters. Please try to bear with me and DO TRY TO REVIEW, okay?  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 4 - Squabbles  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back in the burrow, Arthur Weasley was slumped in a chair with his hands covering his face. Molly was pacing back and forth, casting nervous glances at her husband. There was no movement for a while as Arthur appeared to be doing some serious thinking. Then finally,  
  
"Aagh!!!" cried Mr. Weasley, shuffling his fiery red hair in frustration.  
  
There was a crash of breaking china as Molly, completely surprised with the outburst, dropped yet another dishware.  
  
"O honey, what is it?" he said, finally spotting Molly and helping her with the broken plate.  
  
"You tell me Arthur! You had been sitting in that chair for hours, mumbling and grunting and shuffling your hair. I'm surprised you actually noticed I've broken anything!" answered Molly, shoving Arthur's hand away.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry honey. It's just that You-know-who still hasn't shown up any sign at all and...you just couldn't imagine how my position is greatly stressing me nowadays. Although people are quite satisfied with the Daily Prophet's reassurance that You-know-who is not spotted anywhere, more concerned wizards are smelling something very fishy. Take Albus for instance, he just...Oh, dear. Let's not talk about my work please" said Arthur in great rush to explain.  
  
Molly's anger seemed to have drained away as she tried to smooth Arthur's forehead.  
  
"Arthur, dear, tell me what's happening. What's fishy dear? I know you're stressed out but I have to understand why you're acting this way. Why isn't You-know-who's disappearance good news?"  
  
Arthur looked at the determined expression at her face and sighed.  
  
"You see Molly, none of the Death Eaters are doing anything queer after You- know-who's rise. Macnair's still at work in the ministry where we are closely watching him and Crabbe and Goyle are still acting their oafish selves. And although I tried to stress out that Lucius is mostly out of the crowd nowadays, no one would agree to search his manor saying that the person's absence alone does not merit us a search warrant. All we are assured is that he keeps regular contact with Narcissa which tells us he hasn't gone to hiding."  
  
"But Arthur, how about the children?"  
  
"Oh, them? I am trusting that Albus would keep a close watch at them. But not too close, I may say because the ministry has to-err.I mean, they got to have some-err.space and all." Arthur quickly took back, but not quick enough.  
  
Molly's eyes turned sharply at him. "Don't tell me they're setting Harry as bait!"  
  
There was a sickening silence as Molly's face turned to a very white hue.  
  
"Oh Arthur! How could you allow this? Harry, Hermione and our own son Ron will be in great danger!" she squeaked, looking ready to faint.  
  
Arthur caught her in time and knitted his brows. "I'm sorry about that too, honey, but the League's getting desperate-too desperate I may say. I don't want all this too but my position just can't take any more chances of having You-know-who back in power. And the soonest possible way of finding them is through the Harry (gulp). Molly, you do understand, don't you?" Arthur said to the unconscious Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"This will help, I hope" he whispered as he got hold of his wand. For a moment, he hesitated and stared at her but as if trying to swallow something very large, he raised it and pointed at her. "Obliviate!" he muttered as yellow sparks shot out of his wand and hit Mrs. Weasley sprawled on the kitchen floor. Thud.  
  
Hundred miles away, where the temperature is twice as cold, the same spell was cast at just about the same moment. But this time, Mrs. Weasley was not the one sprawled on the floor.  
  
Lucius looked up, tearing his stare away from the limp body of Narcissa on the floor. "Tut, tut" he muttered. "Told you not to go exploring this part of the manor, love. How many times do I have to warn you..." came his cold voice. He leaned closer to her and whispered, "Believe me, love. You wouldn't want to see what I hold here. Just useless junk really. So, back to the rose garden perhaps? Ah, yes. You dozed off once more and found your subconscious self here. Tsk, tsk. Sweet thing. You wouldn't want to disobey me have you been in your right self and not in that dreamy state of yours- tsk, tsk. Another call to the ministry, perhaps? Ah, yes of course. Most efficient, I daresay. Most efficient" Lucius smiled and with an effortless tug, he heaved her up to his shoulders and headed towards the upper manor. 


	5. The Unexpected Rendezvous

Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 5 - The Unexpected Rendezvous  
  
  
  
In the Gryffindor common room, two weeks after classes, Harry had just arrived with his Firebolt on his shoulders. He had been through an early Quidditch practice and had stayed up later than the rest of the team who all went back to their common rooms ages ago. He had never wanted to win the Quidditch Cup once more in his whole life. Perhaps because it was his final year at Hogwarts and it would be particularly difficult for him, especially him (as he is now the team captain of the Gryffindor team) to have the cup slip off their hands. But what was even more difficult to stomach was the thought of the Slytherins getting hold of it instead of them. He could just imagine the smear Malfoy would be wearing.  
  
"You're extremely late, Harry" suddenly came Hermione's voice from his side.  
  
Harry noticed that the whole Gryffindor common room was deserted except for one whole table where Hermione was obviously doing some late work. Glancing at his watch, Harry realized that it was dead late. It was ten minutes after twelve in the morning. "How could he have stayed that long?" he mused as he approached the very tired-looking Hermione.  
  
"I'm not the only one staying up late here, Hermione. Look at you. What is this, homework 'till the crack of dawn?" he said slumping at the chair beside her. Now that his Quidditch thoughts were away, he started feeling numb with tire and sleepy. Hermione was saying something but his eyelids were already flattering close.  
  
"Harry, listen. I'm having a very difficult time. Ron's still not talking to me, although I admit that I'd be pretty surprised if he did talk to me this soon y'know. Hey are you still up?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Good. Anyway, I was thinking if you would like to join me in studying for the N.E.W.T.s because I'm starting to feel really stupid sitting in the library alone with er.around. And Ron, he's acting really peculiar.Harry? Still up Harry?" Hermione prodded but he did not stir. She looked at him desperately and groaned.  
  
Actually, what she just told him, if he had only been listening, was the mild truth. She was not having a difficult time. She was having a terrible time. Ron had been acting weirdly nowadays. Not in a usual weird kind of way, but in an annoyingly weird way. As Hermione saw it, he had been strutting around all week, laughing loud with lots of people she didn't even know. Of course she knew that this was perfectly normal for Ron since Mr. Weasley just had had what the Gryffindors called the "coolest job on Earth". And it was alright for him to be proud of that fact. But the way he was acting was not proud but way too proud and way too loud. And she was starting to doubt whether he was really joking when he told Malfoy about his Priority Friends List because just the other day she saw him pulling out what seemed to be a small bit of parchment. Then glancing up to see a group of Slytherin kids, he hastily placed it in his robes before he went out to greet them like a dog. She even heard him say,  
  
"Hey Albertine, right? Of the Slytherin team? 'Course you know me, eh? Ronald Weasley of the League Against the Dark Arts...."  
  
Hermione smirked. The way he had said it was as if he was actually the one in the league and not Mr. Weasley. And Ronald Weasley? Since when did he ever become Ronald?! Even the mere memory of Ron's twisted grin annoyed the hell out of her. And Priority Friends List? Come on. That's not just stupid but so not Ron. He had stayed friends with her even if she was a Muggle- born, not entirely a very popular line to belong to.  
  
"But you're not talking right now. Sure, he's still your friend, but is it the same there? What if you're not in his Priority-Stupid-List after all?" Hermione thought weakly. Then glancing at Harry, she sighed,  
  
"If you could just listen to me, Harry. I think that's just fair since I haven't done work all night, just been waiting here for you to finish with that Quidditch practice.And I got loads to do-Loads and loads of work!" she told the sleeping Harry. Without her noticing it, hot tears traced her cheeks. Now that both her bestfriends are out in space, she just didn't know what to do. She had never been this helpless before and if she continued on in this pace, she would have nothing done and she could just kiss her NEWTs away.  
  
"If only someone would listen.." she glanced at Harry at her side and saw his head bob sideways. Finally, she stood up and got her wand. Then after puling out a blanket from thin air and tucking it just below Harry's chin, she whispered,  
  
"Night Harry, 'night Ron."  
  
With that, she shrugged her thoughts away and walked towards the girl's dormitories. If she continued talking to a sleeping Harry, she'd go crazy. But midway through, she changed her mind and thought that she was too anxious to sleep. So she walked past Harry(still sleeping soundly) towards the portrait of the Fat Lady (Where are you going, young lady? Strolling by the lake? What, at this time? Blah!). Hermione wasn't really planning to go strolling by the lake but as she found out, she didn't have anywhere else to go anyway. So she continued walking, cautious to look for any sign of a professor, but there was none. It wasn't very long 'till she found herself already facing the silvery glint of the lake that was then illuminated by the blue moon. But before she could let the peaceful lake take her thoughts away, she recognized the reflection of a very familiar tree in it. It was moving softly with the wind and looking quite innocent this time but Hermione knew better than be fooled. It was the Whomping Willow. The violent tree that she had seen Ron disappear into with a crack of his leg during their fourth year-Ron who wasn't even talking to her. That was painful to remember so she decided to turn on the gray brick wall, of the castle at her back instead. Then in a mighty rush of wings that changed color every minute, Hermione's exploits with Harry and Buckbeak in order to save Sirius Black came flooding back to her. She could clearly remember them flying towards Professor Flitwick's office in the seventh floor.  
  
"It should be that window.." whispered Hermione tracing the thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. Harry-who was too busy to even listen. But before she had time to weep over her situation again, her eyes darted upwards to the dark Owlery window. She didn't know what triggered her to do it but her instincts told her something was watching her from that window. And she almost screamed when a great Eagle owl fluttered majestically out of the window.  
  
"Who would want to send his messages at the dead of the night?" she thought, feeling a little jumpy. Then, realizing how suspicious it would also look if someone spotted her strolling by the lake-alone, Hermione decided to return to the Gryffindor Tower. She checked the corridors for anyone, then walked as fast as she could towards the Tower. Panic started to fill her as she understood that this would not be her first time to be caught out late by a professor. She was already imagining the reproving look Professor McGonagall would give her when she jammed her foot in a nearby bin.  
  
"Ouch!" Hermione shrieked in surprise. But quickly realizing what she had done, she gasped, terror written all over her face. In the dark hallway of the castle, she could almost make out the distant scrambling of feet, surely bound to find out who the transgressor was.  
  
"C'mon! Get off my feet now!" Hermione kept saying, pulling at what looked to her as a silver bucket-shaped thing with the word 'intruders' scratched on its side. Probably one of Filch's toys to get back to students who sneaked out at night like her.  
  
"Get off now, please." she whimpered, pulling as hard as she could. She was scared to death. What if she was caught and they didn't let her take the N.E.W.Ts? That's an even better way to fail the exams. Now she won't even be able to take it!  
  
"Great, just great!" Hermione thought frustrated when the thing finally let her foot go. She whirred around looking frantically for a place to hide but she knew it was too late. She could hear the footsteps more distinctly this time as if the person was bound to turn up on her soon. Whimpering with pain, she hopped one-legged towards a narrow corridor at her right. She leaned on the dark wall for support and after only moving a few steps away from the scene of the crime, she was already panting with exhaustion and pain.  
  
"Here sir, I heard the student shout and I'm absolutely sure it knocked my silverware apart. There, I can see a definite crack. This is damage to my property sir, I do hope the headmaster hears about this." Filch was saying as Hermione held her breathe.  
  
"Stop blabbing about that thing Filch and help me find that student. I'm sure whoever it is, she hasn't gone very far" came the drawling voice of none other than Snape. Hermione heard him shuffling to her direction but before she could curse herself for strolling out late, a cold hand covered her mouth and she felt the wall behind her tip to the right.  
  
Hermione gasped.  
  
She was standing face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. The Green lights behind him were casting eerie shadows on his face.  
  
  
  
A/N: Finally, our two characters meet! Hu-raahh to that!!! Honestly, I don't know what took me that long to get the story rolling but anyway.I'm at it. And for those who noticed, I know I said this was how I imagined the fifth book to be, but I guess I meant the 'last book' by that since the characters here are now at their final year at Hogwarts. I hope I didn't get any of you disappointed. Thanks for those who reviewed!!! 


	6. Battle of the Wills

A/N: This is the chapter I've been waiting so long to upload! I can't believe it took me five chapters to get Draco and Hermione scalp each other. Anyway, after this, things are really bound to speed up in this story, I SWEAR!!! (for the umpteenth time, I know). Thanks for keeping up with me this long! Please try to review!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 6 - Battle of the Wills  
  
  
  
"What the.." Hermione was saying when Draco placed a finger on her lips to silence her. She looked indignantly at him and noticed that his eyes were focused on the wall behind her as if he was trying to listen to something. Then she heard Snape's faint voice from behind her.  
  
"Are you sure this is where you heard the cry Filch?"  
  
"Pretty sure Professor. I am never mistaken sir."  
  
"Until now Filch. There's no one here Filch. You've been having troubled dreams. I suggest you go back to bed."  
  
"But sir! I am definite there has been a disturbance!"  
  
"I'm leaving you to it then. I'm going to bed."  
  
Hermione heard Snape's footsteps grow fainter and after a few moments of pacing back and forth, Filch finally followed him with much audible grumbling. Hermione heaved a great sigh of relief but after noticing the penetrating look Draco was giving her, cold shivers ran down her spine. She was too stunned to speak, let alone move, so she just stood there gaping at him. She watched his gray eyes stare coldly at her then shifted uncomfortably as it met her own chestnut-brown iris. She could feel intense dread sweeping over her. Finally, his eyes lowered and settled at her ankle- her swollen ankle.  
  
"OUCH!" whimpered Hermione, the pain in her ankle piercing at high intensity. She crouched down and rubbed it gently. But instead of going away, the pain grew to an unbearable level that left Hemione streaming with tears of mixed pain and dread. What a night it had been. With Ron making irritating her his favorite past time and with Harry playing cold brick. And now she even managed to get herself in a stupid situation like this, with her worst enemy standing an inch away from her and her broken ankle. Things couldn't get worse.  
  
She was crying full-time now and she could already feel her nose go red. Hermione was expecting to hear a nasty laugh from Draco soon but to her surprise, he bent down to her now fully swollen ankle.  
  
"Tut, tut." he said pulling out his wand and reaching for Hermione's ankle. Dread surged through Hermione once more so she moved her ankle away (much to her agony) Draco looked at the incensed look Hermione was wearing and fought the urge to call Snape back and hand her in. He had just saved her neck and this was certainly not the way he expected her to thank him. She could have at least pretended to be grateful. Not that he wanted her that way, he was quite satisfied with the fact that she loathes him. After all, he would rather be fed alive to Hagrid's Blast-ended Skrewts than have relations of any sort with a Mudblood like her.  
  
Hermione's ankle seared with more pain. She narrowed her eyes at Draco, gesturing him to move back. But apparently, he didn't get it.  
  
"I was thinking if you could move a little so I could have space to stretch out my broken ankle, if you don't mind of course." she snapped scathingly.  
  
But before Draco could make out what he would say to her, the words just slipped out of his mouth,  
  
"I do mind Granger. And if space is what your blasted ankle needs, then I'd make sure you don't get the luxury of having it" he hissed back, still not bothering to move. Hermione looked at the sneer plastered on Draco's face.  
  
"What a git!" She would have hit him square in the face if she just wasn't feeling this weak.  
  
But all of a sudden her ankle roared with pain again and without knowing it, Hermione started pleading (much to her disgust) to Draco.  
  
"Please Malfoy...I am hurt. Please move." She gasped, still rubbing her broken ankle.  
  
Draco watched Hermione's face twist in pain. He quietly moved back and continued staring at her. She was looking quite different tonight with her cheeks stinging red but it wasn't just her face that distracted Draco. It was the way her eyes bore down on him a while ago. It was not only burning with loathing, there was something melancholic glinting in them. He had never seen her wear that look before. Well of course, counting the fact that they were enemies, he can't really expect her to give him a look other than plain disgust. Draco was still musing about the change when Hermione's fresh squeal of pain jolted him back to reality. And sighing heavily and fighting the drive to just leave her alone to rot, he pulled out his wand and aimed it at her ankle. In a stream of green light, Hermione watched, or rather, felt her ankle warm up. And even before the light had gone out, she already felt the pain in her ankle go. She tried rotating it and her suspicion was confirmed. She gaped at Draco and stammered,  
  
"You cured my ankle? How did you.... I mean Why did you?"  
  
Draco shrugged and stood up.  
  
"I was going to cure it all along had you shut your big mouth and left me to it." he answered.  
  
Still not believing what she just heard, Hermione took a quick look around the place. She thought she must be inside the Slytherin Tower although she couldn't make out where exactly the common room was. The space looked so much like a dungeon with green candles floating in the walls.  
  
"So that's why Snape didn't bother to check behind the wall! Because he thought the transgressor was a Slytherin. That biased bloke!" Hermione thought. Then squinting at a narrow corridor at her front, she noticed that there was a huge warm light glowing at its end.  
  
"Perhaps you have to go through that alleyway to reach the common room." She was still thinking when Draco grunted at her side. She turned to face him and quickly uttered 'thanks'. But after seeing the ugly look in his face, she felt a sudden urge to kick herself for doing so.  
  
"That's it Granger?" Draco hissed.  
  
He waited until Hermione's jaw dropped a couple of inches down.  
  
"This is my big chance. She came into my hands without me even trying." Draco thought, narrowing his eyes at her.  
  
"What do you mean that's all? I meant it-thanks."  
  
"Oh, Granger. You still have a lot to learn about this world. Everything comes with a price. If I haven't saved your neck out there..." he paused, then stressing out each word, continued, "you wouldn't live for yet another day-I meant in this school of course.", he hastily added seeing Hermione's raised eyebrows.  
  
Hermione stifled a laugh. "What made you think, Malfoy, that this school is ready to give up the cleverest witch of all time?" she retorted, her words dripping with sarcasm. "You haven't forgotten that, have you?" she added.  
  
"'Course I haven't. But I also haven't forgotten your rather ill track record. And counting, this would be your-umm-thousandth time to get caught breaking the grounds of Hogwarts, am I right?" He smiled at the blanched face of Hermione. "But you're right in saying that you are the cleverest and also the fo...(he was about to say 'foulest' but caught himself in time) er-fairest."  
  
Hermione's face darkened. She obviously wasn't taking any of Draco's words seriously but he continued anyway,  
  
"So I think it would be a fair bargain if you teach-er-educate-er-help prepare.."  
  
Hermione watched Draco's mouth open and close as he searched for the perfect word to address the matter and she felt her temper rise through every turn.  
  
"What is it Malfoy? Spit it out, I haven't got all night!" she exploded.  
  
Draco looked really annoyed with the interference.  
  
"I want you to help me recognize the great stretch of my inborn potentials and aid me in using them for the NEWTs." he said in a rush of words.  
  
Hermione gaped at him. "You're not making sense! What is it exactly? And in English, if you mind." Hermione snapped.  
  
"Make me pass the NEWTs so I can make it to the League!" he said finally.  
  
"What do you mean make you? You know I can't..there's no way anyone can...And why should I in the first place...you're a scum under my.." Hermione was talking (and cursing) so fast that Draco was only able to catch the words 'scum', 'filth' and 'absurd'. He wanted to shake her hard in the shoulders and make her shut up but he didn't dare touch a slimy Mudblood like her.  
  
"What I meant is that you are to teach me or anything to make me pass it. That's what you will do in exchange for this-er-great favor you owe me."  
  
Hermione watched Draco's stubborn face in horror. She didn't spot his usual idle grin and its absence meant only one thing-he was serious, dead serious.  
  
"I WILL NEVER!"  
  
"Yes you will! And you should because Snape would be very glad to see you in his office soon, and next thing you know he's already filed you with something so heinous, you'll be gone for good! You know, we're very good friends."  
  
Draco knew he got her that time. Hermione's jaw opened and closed in muted protest. But he could see that she was also thinking very hard on how to work her way out of the deal, but of no recourse.  
  
"But then, that would mean working with me Malfoy-in close contact."  
  
Draco nodded his head in disgust. He had foreseen this to happen.  
  
"But you wouldn't, I'm a Muggle! What about the 'don't touch me now, I don't want my hands slimed up' flick, huh?"  
  
"Of course my sanitary is still my prime concern but we could do some arrangements 'bout that."  
  
"NO! I don't want to teach you anything your too hopeless brain, if you have any, but I doubt it-can't comprehend. And you can't force me! It doesn't work that way." Hermione barked.  
  
This time it was Draco's turn to get enraged. His gray eyes narrowed at Hermione and he gave her the same murderous stare he had always reserved for Harry. Hermione reached for her wand just in case. But it wasn't necessary. He simply settled for the 'You're-a-Big-Foul-Shit-Under-My-Nose' look and continued talking.  
  
"I am not forcing you to do it, Granger. I am blackmailing you. Two weeks of your brains and you could go on with your night strolls and I won't even bother you."  
  
"Not two-a week!" Hermione insisted hopelessly.  
  
"Three weeks and ask again and it will be for the whole bloody semester." Draco hissed.  
  
For a while, they just stood there staring at each other with complete loathing. Draco couldn't wait to get out of the room and get farthest away from Hermione and Hermione was again feeling helpless and weak with frustration. Hot tears of fury sneaked down her cheeks as she stared unblinkingly at Draco.  
  
Draco was surprised at this. If this was another of her tricks to get her out of the deal it wouldn't work. It was downright pathetic and stupid. And besides, the idea of staying even ten feet near her was to him as pleasing as marrying Eloise Midgen-even less. He was on the verge of telling her this when she started speaking again.  
  
"On one condition." he heard her say.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tell me why the hell you wanted to enter the League when it is plain to see that it was established to protect Muggles like ME and enemies of You- Know-Who like Harry?" she said, then adding quickly, "Of course you know that, don't you?" There was a look on her face that told him she thought he didn't know. She was really starting to get into his nerves.  
  
"I know" he replied coolly. "But it's also the most descent spot you could get in the ministry, if you could call that a ministry."  
  
"But it's for Harry!"  
  
"I said I know!" Draco barked, infuriated by the thought.  
  
"Then why, Malfoy? And answer me now before I change my mind." said Hermione, still not giving up. There was confidence in her tone that told Draco he should give her a very good reason.  
  
"I hope I knew."  
  
There, he said the truth. That was what was really bugging him nowadays-why his father would want him in the League. He glanced at Hermione and saw her give him a stupid measuring look. Perhaps he looked convincing though because she just shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Well, is it a deal? Not that I think I should take your part of the bargain in consideration, no. It's not like that at all."  
  
"'Could have figured that out myself." Hermione hissed back.  
  
Draco grinned satisfactorily. He didn't want her running off with ideas like that. He had done her a great treat tonight by saving her neck. But he is not that indulgent.  
  
"Good. After classes, from tomorrow is fine with me (Draco was careful not to say 'how 'bout you?'). So?"  
  
"Right." she sighed, finally giving up. If it would mean getting out of Draco's sight then it should be worth it. But there was still something bugging her.  
  
"So.get out." Draco said pointing at the wall that was now opened midway.  
  
"Umm.Draco, one last question."  
  
Draco felt annoyed with Hermione's hesitance but he also can't help noticing that she had just called him by his first name.  
  
"What is it?" he said, hoping it sounded annoyed enough.  
  
"Where did you learn how to heal bones? I mean, they don't teach that here, do they?" Hermione's question was void of sarcasm, only plain curiosity. He should have just told her the truth. But why should he though? He's her worst enemy and it was to remain that way.  
  
"It's something I find very handy." he said simply, glancing at her fully- healed ankle.  
  
Hermione smirked. But she half-hoped her smirk looked grateful because she really was. It wasn't actually a nice thought to go all the way back to the Gryffindor Tower limping. She turned and slid hastily on the other side of the wall. But before she could get away completely, Draco called her back. She looked at his pale face between the half-open wall of the Slytherin Tower and for a moment she thought she saw him smile mischievously.  
  
"And Herm-er-Granger, you don't have to cry. I'm not that bad company." he said coolly, slipping inside as the wall hid his smile. "I'm terrible company."  
  
"Slimy git." Hermione said before she hurried back to the Gryffindor Tower. 


	7. The Secret Nook

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to upload it. I just realized that this chapter is a whooping 18 pages so.I guess that explains the *long gap*. I just realized also that my first few chapters were long and draggy. Sorry again! But I can promise you that the story as a whole will be worth your time (it's finished already, in case I haven't mentioned it yet). Also, please try to review one of my favorite poems: You Ought To Know. I think you'll like it (crosses her fingers). Thanks again!!!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!!  
  
  
  
Chapter Seven - The Secret Nook  
  
  
  
The next morning was a particularly busy one. All the teachers were over- excited in jamming them with work to aid those who plan to pass the N.E.W.Ts. Even Professor Lupin who usually let them breathe in his class, was a little rigid on teaching them the proper way of cursing a Troll to make it small.  
  
"Tackling a Mountain Troll is quite easy especially once you've made it smaller. But in order to that, you have to concentrate and keep your eyes open.Ms. Granger, he added silently to the sleeping Hermione at Harry's side. Harry turned to look at her and saw that it that it was true. By the unfocused look she was now wearing, it was plain to see that she'd been sleeping at Lupin's class,  
  
"Weird", thought Harry. And judging by the way Ron's eyebrows went up, Harry was sure he thought so too. But Hermione wasn't the only one looking tired. Malfoy had just slid off his chair completely at the very back of the room and was sleeping soundly at Crabbe's feet. But as soon as the bell rang, he quickly sat up straight and narrowed his gray eyes across the room- to Hermione? Harry tore his look away from Malfoy and went to catch up with Hermione in the corridor. She was really walking so fast she was practically running.  
  
"Hey!" He said, placing a hand on her shoulder to slow her down He groaned a "sorry"  
  
for sleeping out on her last night. He thought there was something she was telling him but couldn't quite remember. So Harry thought he could ask her about it before leaving for Quidditch practice.  
  
"Hermione, sorry 'bout last night."  
  
"I'm surprised you even knew you should be."  
  
"'Kinda dreamt about it."  
  
"And I suppose you dreamt about what I told you too?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I didn't catch the later part of those. What was the homework you were asking me about again?", it was a guess. But not quiet a good one though because Hermione's eyebrows shot up like arrows.  
  
"Nice try, Harry. Why won't you just hit yourself with your Firebolt? Perhaps that would make you dream of what I told you last night." Hermione snapped slipping towards the right staircase. She was out of sight before he could even call her back.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Harry stammered when a hand slapped him hard on the shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong with what, captain?"  
  
Harry turned around to see Seamus Finnigan and the rest of the Gryffindor Team half-beaming and half-shivering at him.  
  
"I'll tell you what's wrong. We have a big match next week against Ravenclaw and we haven't even got a game plan ready yet." he continued trying to look cool though there was a vein throbbing at his left cheek.  
  
Harry could see that the whole team was thinking about that too because they nodded vigorously at the mention of 'game plan'.  
  
"But we managed to win against Hufflepuff without any."  
  
"Yes, we did. But will we manage to slip out of Ravenclaw this time?" said Lavender Brown, one of the chasers. Her voice was drowned by a throng of complaints coming from everyone. And Harry's thoughts of Hermione were completely washed away.  
  
"But you have the talent team." He tried saying uncertainly. "A game plan is only a sketch of nonsense. We don't follow Oliver's back then at all. Quidditch is going out there and doing your thing."  
  
The whole team looked thoroughly unconvinced. Harry knew he got to act fast. He tried to imagine what Oliver Wood would have told them during times like this. He imagined his too wide grin and booming voice and tried to put himself in his image He let his eyes rove at each player of the Gryffindor Team, making sure to pause for two seconds each player before moving on. He could now feel that he is the captain, not just the plain old seeker-but the CAPTAIN. And before he knew what he was doing, he boomed in a shower of spit.  
  
"WE CAN DO THIS TEAM! I TRUST YOU JUST AS EACH OF YOU SHOULD TOO AND REMEMBER THAT...umm, remember that." Harry snapped out of the trance and realized that not only his team were looking stunned at him but the whole busy corridor. Everyone froze at their spot with the same mouth wide open expression, except for some non-Gryffindors who were sniggering heartily.  
  
"And...er---remember too that...."  
  
He didn't know what to say and it was getting embarrassing. He should just come up with anything, anything at all, and NOW! He glanced at everyone eyeing him like a hawk.  
  
"That you're a Gryffindor and you should Focus on Quidditch and not on other people's business!" Harry spat, casting a wearied look at the crowd ahead him who started moving on with a few clicks of their tongue.  
  
"And now, the finishing touch.." Harry thought, gaining back his composure.  
  
  
  
"SO, ROAR TEAM, ROAR!!!" he added, placing his hand at the middle of the circle. The team looked incredulously at him first, then slowly placed their own hands in.  
  
"Nice, now to practice." Harry said as the team staggered behind him, craning their necks to see if he was sane again. Harry didn't notice this though as he was keeping a good five steps ahead and holding his head straighter up than usual.  
  
"Not bad Harry, not bad at all. You're getting good at this!" he thought, excitement surging through him like fire.  
  
Hermione reached the library in a hurry and settled herself at the front table facing the hawk-looking librarian, Madam Pince. She made sure of this because she knew that if she was spending two whole hours with Draco, she might as well take all the necessary precaution. And sooner than she wished, Draco came strutting in, looking sour and miserable.  
  
Draco stared at Hermione. She was careful to bury her face in the book she was reading but he was quite sure she was trying her best to control the urge to puke (she was holding the book too close to her mouth). He scowled. The things he had to do for his father..that too wonderful Lucius Malfoy. He gritted his teeth at the thought of how his father simply told him to pass the N.E.W.T.s as if it was the easiest thing to do. He doubted whether his father would have ever passed the tests in a thousand years had he taken them. And that was what was hard to chew. He couldn't even see why he had to pass it when Lucius himself clearly thought it was junk. A rip from Hermione's table distracted him.  
  
"Aggh!!!" she snarled, throwing the piece of parchment at the trash bin across the table. Madam Pince glared at her but Hermione seemed not to care.  
  
Draco crossed the hall and sat across the table, at the same time purposely sending a pile of Hermione's books clattering at the floor with a nudge of his elbow. Hermione glared at him and Ms. Pince made a tutting sound behind him. Draco just grinned innocently at Hermione who bent down and heaved the pile back on the table, farthest away possible from him with a great sigh. Then she continued right on scribbling notes. Draco watched her idly, with his head resting at his hand on the table. This was the way he wanted Hermione best-busy and definitely not talking. But after some time it started to bore him. He kicked her mildly on the shin under the table. And then harder when she did not stir. Hermione moved her chair an inch away from the table and shot him a look of disgust.  
  
"That was so nice of you, Malfoy. If it weren't for you I would have finished Professor Binn's essay earlier. But I'm not going to do anything about it-just gonna sit here 'till you're mature enough to start lessons."  
  
"Lessons?" Draco almost fell off his chair. "I ain't taking any lessons from you mud-er-(suddenly remembering Madam Pince was at his back) Granger!" Hermione smiled, or at least her face relaxed a bit.  
  
"You aren't?"  
  
"I'm not-ever." he said, but quickly recognizing the cunning in her face (she was still trying to bail her way out of it), he added, "I'm keeping you company. So you wouldn't look as stupid as you are, sitting here with no one but your bushy head."  
  
Hermione looked taken aback. For what reason, Draco hadn't had time to guess because she suddenly stood up and started gathering her books. Fortunately, Madam Pince got her nose hooked on some large book at the far corner of the library that she didn't see what Draco did that made Hermione gasp. Draco had just caught Hermione's wrist and was holding it securely, pinning his eyes at her.  
  
"You're not going anywhere 'till we start the learning Granger." then noticing the horrified look at Hermione's face he added, "Why won't you just sit down?"  
  
Hermione took the slight show of retreat to her advantage and snatched her wrist away. Draco clicked his tongue and taunted, "I don't like waiting very much Granger. And I suppose you're already done with that one for Binns so you might want to start. My time is very precious."  
  
Hermione gritted her teeth. The guts of Draco to tell her how his time is precious. If there's anything getting wasted in this session, it's definitely not his time. She was starting to think that Draco was actually enjoying himself...taunting her and making her more miserable than she already is.  
  
"You're a slimy son of bitch, Malfoy. If you hate waiting so much, let's just see how you would be able to stand this." Hermione told herself as an idea flicked in her mind.  
  
Draco watched Hermione head for the towering shelves of old books at the far end of the Library and sighed impatiently as she disappeared among one of them. She's being too stubborn and he thought it was most convenient to just leave her in that hell-hole. But because Draco knew very well that that this was what she wanted, he followed her right through the shelves, now more determined than ever to stick around and piss her off some more. But finding her proved to be more difficult than he thought. Because as Draco surveyed the towering shelves, he noticed that they were magicked to hold even larger arrays of shelves inside them. He discovered this after he accidentally tipped a small black book (in an attempt to hurl it backwards at Hermione in case she was at the other side of the rack) at the middle of about the hundredth wooden shelf he turned into. He had watched intently as the small book's pages swerved as if being blown by a strong wind. Then the next thing he noticed was that the whole place around him was dissolving (gratefully, also the blasted wooden shelves which he was starting to hate considerably by the minute) in a great swirl of colors. And when the dissolving finally stopped, he found himself facing (to his horror) yet another row of now copper shelves, holding still what seemed to him, a pool of even older, moldier books.  
  
"Dammit!" Draco cursed loudly, but realizing what he had just done, he stopped abruptly to listen for the librarian's sound. The last thing he needed was to get scolded for sneaking in the private quarters of her precious Library, especially when that was the last thing he would have done if only his father didn't force him into this bloody situation. But Madam Pince's footsteps never came and Draco started to doubt whether there was anything audible at all from where he is. The travel seemed to have lasted for about a minute so surely he must be somewhere under the Library by now.  
  
"Granger? Oh. Granger? You filthy, little Muldblood, where the hell are you?"  
  
There was no answer. Draco tore hastily from every corner and after he was definitely sure that Hermione wasn't cranked up at some space between the books, he searched for the familiar small black book again and found it now at the topmost rack of the middle shelf. He had much difficulty reaching it and he almost fell over after stepping at some moldy yellow book. But when he finally got it, he pushed it rather violently and swore under his breath,  
  
"That's what you get, you stupid junk! Once I found Granger, I would make sure I burn your filthy skin to ashes!" Draco hissed madly at the black book. Hermione was really making this very hard for him. But he is not giving up because that would mean the Mudblood witch outwitted him in letting her out of the deal.  
  
"I'm gonna find you, filthy rat, even if it kills me!" he shouted at still another Hermione-less row of wooden shelves. He did the same routine over and over again and didn't even stop to check out a book that was labeled 'Extremely Dangerous And Entirely For Foul Wizards Like You'. Meanwhile, the chambers never seem to run out and somehow manages to get even bigger every time. Draco had always known that Hogwarts was an ancient building but it never occurred to him that the Library was quite small compared to the large amount of knowledge that it definitely gained through the centuries. He simply paid no attention to it. And even now, after this discovery, his personal feelings towards the Library-Hermione Granger's abode, hasn't changed at all.  
  
After having passed seventeen odd chambers and, Draco stopped in front of the same black bock again and eyed it with wrath. But just as he was about to reach out for it, his eyes caught the same yellow woe-begone book that had almost broken his neck an hour ago. There was something peculiar about it that he found it hard to look away. Unlike all the other books, the yellow book and the black one was in every middle shelf of the chambers. The black book had its purpose of course, but the yellow book-what was it there for?  
  
"Surely not to remind me that I tripped on it." Draco thought pulling out the book. It was just a book about brewing potions and wasn't even about Dark Arts (Draco was thoroughly disappointed at this).  
  
"Still....there's something fishy about you smelly bastard." he stammered on thinking about why he noticed it in the first place. Then, as if someone turned a light on his head, Draco headed back to the chambers he passed through, hurriedly tipping in the black books until finally, he saw the one accident-prone yellow book lying at the floor of the seventh chamber. He flipped its pages and found nothing. Then he tried again, now scanning each page for the symbol he reckoned he saw when the book flew open at his kick.  
  
  
  
"Aha!"  
  
He found it. It was a clover leaf sketched in green ink with a single- looped circle drawn around it. Draco thought he'd seen the mark before but can't recall.  
  
"Where did I see this before?" he stammered, tracing it with his finger. Then, seeing how pointless it was to be standing there fingering some old vandal, Draco's thoughts returned to Hermione.  
  
"Granger! Where are you?!"  
  
But just as he was about to chuck the book out, it flew out of his hands and dropped on the floor with a thud. Strange sounds started coming out of it-first, there was scraping, then the sound of a large stone being moved aside. Until finally, its pages opened at the mark of the clover and a hole started opening out of the sketched circle. The hole grew wider and wider until it was possible for a person to slip right through it. Draco's mouth flew open. He had seen all sorts of dark magic before but he was amazed at how this one concealed how it work its magic. It was purely brilliant. He was still marveling at it when, to his great surprise, he found a very familiar brown-haired witch sitting at one of the carved seats inside what appeared to Draco as a very small study room.  
  
"Very clever, Mudblood.'Been looking for you all the time and see where I found you." Draco snapped at Hermione through the hole. But Hermione didn't stir. She just sat there with her head placed in her hands. Draco noticed that she had been crying and that her shoulders were rocking mildly. Thinking that she was again pretending that he did not exist, Draco slipped in through the hole and moved at her side, sneering triumphantly all the time.  
  
"Gotcha, you little filth! But I must admit you did exhaust me. Now you don't even have to teach me anymore. But of course there'd still be tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that." he was saying when she started muttering about something.  
  
"Oh Ron, Harry.."  
  
This time, Draco prodded at her shoulder but she still didn't move. He was right. He didn't exist in the place.  
  
Hermione continued sobbing. And when she finally sat up and crouched her legs up the chair, Draco saw that her eyes were bloodshot red, meaning that while he was breaking his neck looking for her, she had been trying to drown herself with tears.  
  
"I can't believe this is happening to me-I can't believe my two best friends can do this to me." Hermione continued talking to herself, "Ron- well, he'd always been that way, except now, I think he's taken it a bit too far.and Harry-what's with him and Quidditch? It's not like he's gonna die if he doesn't catch that snitch!" Hermione was talking non-stop, sometimes even making gestures with her right hand. It was a little creepy for Draco to see her talking to herself. He's never seen her so miserable before and for what?  
  
"Y'know what your problem is? You're too bloody selfish!" He suddenly said from behind her. He hadn't meant to, but the way she was acting was very objectionable and pointless to him. To his surprise, Hermione whirred around and faced him. She stared at him in mild surprise, then shook her head and started murmuring. Draco was getting the impression that she was a little on the nutty side.  
  
"Oh, great! Now, I'm having hallucinations of Draco." he heard her say which was then followed by a soft laugh.  
  
"I can't be any more miserable than I am now. I never had visions of Draco before...great, just great! Now he's hunting me even in my secret space. Probably that session thing with him that's causing me all this stress..." she stopped midway through the sentence and stared directly at Draco's eyes. He tried not to flinch at the look but her stare was so penetrating that he could almost feel it go through him like x-ray. But to his relief, she finally looked back at her feet again.  
  
"I don't really mind, actually. I would have loved some company, if it hadn't been Draco-if he hadn't been always cruel to me, if he just don't hate me too much for being a Muggle (Draco almost corrected her and said 'mudblood' but thought better).Maybe that's why Ron wasn't talking to me-he didn't think I was freakin' cool enough to be in his Priority Friends List." and with that Hermione broke down completely. Her sobs were strangely bouncing off the whole place as if it had been coming from everywhere.  
  
Draco watched Hermione rock back and forth again. Narcissa-she suddenly reminded him of his mother during the nights when his father didn't come up from the caverns for weeks. She had always been sick with worry but never found enough courage to go down there herself. His mother was very afraid of disobeying Lucius and as his son, he knows the very reason for this. He made sure he remembered. Then, pulling his thoughts back to Hermione, he found her still looking very miserable with her face all shiny and red. He even glimpsed of her trying to smile although it was an empty, mirthless smile. Draco started to wonder how strong Hermione was compared to his mother. After all the trouble he'd caused her for the past six years, she'd been quite okay-until now. He couldn't see why losing two stupid friends meant that much to her. But then again he'd never know since he never had any real friends before and even now-if you can count Crabbe and Goyle as friends, but since they're more like blundering trolls than anything, they don't count. But why though? Why cry like that for God's sake?  
  
"If I had scarhead and Weasley for friends, I'd weep my head off." Draco thought glumly, watching Hermione's shoulders quiver with her sobs. Then without thinking, he started reaching out to her.  
  
"Dammit!" Draco cursed himself, stopping his hands in midway. He almost touched the Mudblood! He was still figuring out what made him do such when Hermione started fretting again.  
  
"That Malfoy! Why didn't he just leave me out to Snape. I'd rather have it that way than have him bossing me around like this! Like I'm some junk born to bid his wants. He's so horrible and evil!"  
  
Evil. That was it. Draco grabbed her at the shoulders and shook her hard.  
  
"You're so selfish, it's unbelievable!" He said acidly at the stunned Hermione. "All you think about is yourself-your problems, your needs, you- you! Everything has to be about you. You always have to be the misunderstood one when actually you're the one who knows nothing about anyone. You look at other people through a looking glass, except the glass is too freakin' foggy for you to see anything at the other side. So you try to polish the glass but then, it becomes too shiny all you see is your own reflection-yourself. That's how you end up so miserable and alone-because you keep on seeing other people in comparison to yourself. When things screw up, it's either Pothead's fault or Weasel's-either way it'd never be your freakin' fault. And also that way, no one will ever measure up to you- 'cause you're too freakin' perfect!" He spat, all his words dripping with venom. He hadn't really meant to sound like he was defending Potter or worse-Weasley. In fact, he had no idea why he even said all that crap to her. There was just something very intrusive to what Hermione said-about the evil thing. She said it like she knew the very soul of him when in fact, she had no idea. "The guts of her." Draco thought through gritted teeth. He was still fancying about the comment when he felt Hermione's quivering stop and her breath turn to shallow intakes of air. She knows nothing about him.  
  
"Stop crying, Granger You'd kill yourself. And we don't want that now, do we? Of course not." Draco told her, staring at her brown, bushy head. "I want you to live just long enough to bore me out-in torturing you, of course. Otherwise, it wouldn't be half as fun." he hissed at Hermione whose back suddenly stiffened. She stopped sobbing completely and there were shivers running up her spine. Draco found his hands wander from her shoulders until it landed on Hermione's hair. And without really thinking, he started stroking the soft mass and sunk his hand right inside it. It was soft and silky-just like his mother's. A sudden, deep yearning for the forgotten mother was overcoming him. It had been a long, long time since he'd spoken to her properly. She was always too depressed to talk to anyone and Draco didn't really fancy talking to her in that state. And of course he blames his father for this. If he hadn't been so cold this past year, then Narcissa could still have been her same cheerful self. And God knows that's what their manor needed right now, a little ray of sunshine. Draco sighed heavily at the thought. Thinking of his mother always makes him a little soft in the knees. Then looking down, he saw Hermione lift her chin to look at him. He saw that her crying had left her cheeks a pretty shade of pink and a slight strand of her chestnut hair was sticking to her face. There was a very strange feeling in the air but Draco quickly whisked the feeling away.  
  
"Draco?" Hermione's muffled voice suddenly came. She was looking at him intently but was still shaking slightly from the storm she'd just been through. A sickening feeling was starting to grow at the pit Draco's stomach. He had just compared the Mudblood to his mother! What was he thinking? He was still lost in his thoughts when Hermione's warm hand landed on his cheek. He jumped back in surprise and saw Hermione do the same. There was a very queer look on her face-that of mingled questioning and shock.  
  
"What?" Draco spat defensively as Hermione cautiously drew to her feet.  
  
"That's exactly what I want to ask you, Draco-what the hell are you doing here?!"  
  
Draco missed her point and narrowed his eyes hatefully at Hermione. He didn't know what exactly happened back there-why he had ever thought that Hermione had any similarity to Narcissa or why he did that 'touching' thing. But worse, Draco just couldn't believe he had just spouted out the whole looking glass idea. It was a secret thought he had always harbored against people but never, even in his wild dreams, thought of saying it out loud. And now he hated Hermione for making him do so. She should have slapped him or something and save him from this humiliation. He was completely unaware of how to react in a situation like this, except of course, with extreme nastiness.  
  
"I was just poking my nose inside your smelly business, of course. What else could I have been doing, crybaby?"  
  
"No....that's not my point." Hermione stammered desperately. She could feel Draco sizzling with anger in front of her.  
  
"Draco....I hadn't been talking about---er---what you did or..say."  
  
Draco stifled a mirthless laugh. "Dream on Mudblood. I did not do anything that you need to mention with such-er-bashfulness. But I can see that your stupid head rode on it and you actually thought that-that...." He was lost at words. He felt like he had just revealed a very private side of him and it was making him burn with shame.  
  
"Not entirely what I had in mind Malfoy, not at all. I had been trying to ask you, just how the hell were you able to get in here? This is my secret place. No one has ever stepped inside it before apart from you and of course, me." Hermione said, finally getting a grip of herself.  
  
"How did you get in Malfoy?" she asked again, managing to keep her stare straight at Draco.  
  
"Did you think I wouldn't get to you somehow, Granger? I admit, I am quite impressed, but not smart enough. There's no chance that yellow book could have slipped my eyes as it was on every goddam shelf there is, if you haven't noticed, you stupid witch."  
  
"Oh" was all Hermione mustered to say. She was so shocked to see Draco in the chamber and too weak to retort. She thought he was just a dream. So Draco found her after all. He didn't have the charity to leave her alone.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that, Malfoy. Never thought you'd find out. I guess I have always regarded you as a brainless entity with a sole purpose of pissing people off. This really came as a surprise."  
  
"You wouldn't want to piss me off now, Granger. I might just spill the beans 'bout your Potter-Weasley hang-up, y'know? I just might." Draco retorted. But he quickly regretted having said so as he saw Hermione's eyes swarm with fresh tears again.  
  
"You know about that too. Great-just great."  
  
But even before she could start crying over again, Draco grabbed her at the shoulders and hissed,  
  
"Don't start that crap again Granger, don't."  
  
Hermione looked at him, smiling miserably.  
  
"Of course I shouldn't. I have no right. I'm just a selfish, insensitive nut who blames the world for her misery. Actually, it would just be fair if you would tell the whole school about how pathetic I am."  
  
"No, I wouldn't tell!" Draco barked at her. He cursed himself silently far letting slip such a golden opportunity to blackmail her but her stubborn sentimentality was really getting into him.  
  
"You wouldn't?" Hermione asked weakly.  
  
"Ask again and I swear I will Granger."  
  
"Deal?" she asked again extending her hand uncertainly at Draco  
  
"What's my part of the deal?"  
  
"I will..I will help you recognize your full potential, scratch that, your full in-born potential, of course." said Hermione smiling a little. She hoped that would work because she just didn't know what to do if Draco didn't bite it  
  
"But have you forgotten, Hermione? You are bound to that whether you like it or not?" Draco cunningly reminded her. But Hermione already saw this coming,  
  
"Yep, but now without scratching and yelling involved." she said, trying her best to put on a bright smile. "If you could do without the fun, of course." she added, still waiting for Draco's reaction.  
  
Draco stared at Hermione for a while; saw her dancing brown eyes that were still shimmering with tears light up. It was quite a pretty sight and he found great difficulty tearing his look away from them for a while. There was something extraordinarily inviting in them-melancholic but filled with so much life and warmth. No one he knew wore a look much like Hermione's. He was sure his mother had that look once, but then again, there was no use recalling the past.  
  
"Okay" he said shortly. At least he wouldn't have to break his neck looking for her next time.  
  
"Thanks, thanks, thanks!" Hermione recited, suddenly flinging her arms around Draco. She never knew she could pull Draco out in a fair deal like this-not that she would have needed to pull it off in the first place hadn't he blackmailed her. Draco almost fell with Hermione's weight but it did send him slamming to the gray wall behind him with a loud 'thud'.  
  
"Ouch"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Draco." Hermione said pulling out of the great strangle. She heaved him up the floor beaming. She was starting to see some hope in Draco's terrible mood. At least now she knew that he had mercy and that is already a great leap from the heartless Death Eater that she had always reserved for his image.  
  
"Fine. Just get away from me." Draco mumbled, releasing Hermione's hand.  
  
"So, do you still want to start? It's one day off our deal if you don't want to."  
  
Draco glanced at his watch. It was 7:30 in the evening-figures why his stomach was rumbling with hunger. Hermione noticed this though.  
  
"Oh. I think dinner's not going to be a problem. Except of course if you prefer the house tables than here." she said, pointing at the small table. Now that she mentioned it, Draco scanned the place with a quick look. It was the size of a small room for one person and it wasn't looking entirely comfortable with only a wooden table and four carved chairs, and stone walls here and there. But somehow, there was something in the place or being in the place that he can't resist. The place was cheerful, and in here they could do the learning without prying eyes to taunt him. It would be very hard to explain why he was hanging out with a Mudblood like Granger- especially Granger. Draco smirked at the wooden table but said 'Fine' anyway. And with a tap of Hermione's wand, the table filled with food that wasn't very different from the ones that were served at the house tables. They ate silently for a brief moment and Draco was greatly disturbed when Hermione asked him if he wanted some of her tart. In the manor, this was one of the basic rules in the table. Never ask more of what is in your plate. She would have gotten a very good scolding if his father was to see that. After Hermione was done with her dessert, the plates finally disappeared and she began placing her books on the table.  
  
"So Draco....I think you know about the Memory Charm, eh?" she said, busily scanning her notes.  
  
"Nope." he said honestly. He knew a lot of curses that other students were not supposed to know but the memory charm? No, he hasn't tried it before.  
  
"I don't believe it. You don't know how to use the Memory charm?" Hermione asked again. She had known it since their second year and Draco didn't know how to work it out?  
  
"I said no."  
  
"Oh, of course. It's not taught in school."  
  
"And you're not supposed to learn it either." Draco retorted, annoyed that Hermione knew something he don't.  
  
"Well, I do. And you got to face that fact if you like me to help you realize your in-born potentials to the fullest" she said, grinning. It was the first real smile she had given Draco.  
  
"Fine, have it your way."  
  
Hermione smiled to herself. It was the first charm she thought of doing since she was secretly planning on casting it on Draco. "I am just going to remove his memory of that crap about Harry and Ron-just that and I'll leave him to it." She thought trying hard to convince herself.  
  
"So, this is what you do. You think hard of what you want the person to forget and try to recall up to which part of it you want to remove from his memory. That's it really. You just say 'Obliviate' and the charm's complete." as she was saying this Hermione was also trying to recall which part of that Potter-Weasley crap she could do without Draco remembering.  
  
"I'll show it first, okay?"  
  
Draco shrugged. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, thinking hard, but just as she was doing this, the part of Draco comforting her (or according to him, poking his nose at her business) made her stop her wand in mid-air. No. She can't do it. Draco looked intently at her as though trying to ask her what was going on. But he just shrugged and looked away. Hermione dropped her wand at the table and called Draco to try the charm first on the wall. He eyed her suspiciously but did what he was told At his words, his wand cast a blazing green light that danced on the wall's surface for a whole minute. Then it flicked off.  
  
"Amazing Draco! You did it on first cue. I never thought you were such a fast learner."  
  
"Don't pull my leg, Granger." he replied coldly but Hermione noticed that his eyes were still focused on the spot where the green light shoot. They tarried on with some books after the Memory Charm but they obviously bore the hell out of Draco as he almost fell asleep on page 20 of 'Charms and Hexes.'  
  
"You still on, Draco?" Hermione asked softly at Draco whose eyes were fluttering dangerously close at the book. He looked up at her and smiled. Had she just thought about it or did he actually smile? "Think so."  
  
But Hermione thought otherwise. It was plain to see that Draco wasn't really apt to staying up long for tests.  
  
"I think we've had enough for today. So.what do you think? It's quits for now?" she said. But he just continued to sit sideways at his chair staring his gray, cold eyes at Hermione.  
  
"Spill it out, Draco." she said nonchalantly.  
  
"How did you come up with this place, Hermione?"  
  
"I learned how to do it from a book." She was on the verge of telling him that it was Tom Riddle who gave her the idea during her second year but thought better of it.  
  
"So, what do you do here---er---beside that Potter-Weasley crap, huh?" he asked, giving emphasis on the 'Potter-Weasley'. This made Hermione think again about casting the Memory Charm on Draco.  
  
"I do my homework when I don't want anyone to pester me. That's how I get to know a lot more stuff.without anyone to trouble me with their perky questions."  
  
"Uh-huh. Why do you have to do that?"  
  
"What do you mean? I like reading and I don't think it's so wrong."  
  
"You like doing it? That's all?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"That can't work for me. It doesn't matter if I like anything as long as my..." his voice trailed off and he was suddenly very pale. Hermione thought there was something going on with Draco but he quickly shifted his gaze to hide his blanched face. He almost told Hermione about his father. And that was really close. Too close, in fact, for their first session. He didn't dare think of what he could be slipping her the next couple of weeks.  
  
"It's late" he said simply, checking his watch. It was already 10:30 and he was starting to get sick of the crummy, small place.  
  
"Oh yeah, sorry. 'Guess I kept you up too long." Hermione said grinning.  
  
Draco just nodded and stood up. "So, same time in this-er-place?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
With that, he stared at the ceiling, realizing for the first time that he didn't know how to get out of the hellhole. Hermione hurried at his side and murmured something he was too sleepy to catch. The hole opened again and he lifted himself up without any trouble. He watched as Hermione emerged from the hole and they hurried back to the first chamber and found themselves back at the Library. The lights were out and Madam Pince had obviously gone back to her old quarters. They walked in silence until they reached the door. Draco was about to slip away on the other hall when Hermione called back at him. He turned around and tried to make out her figure in the shadows.  
  
"G'night Draco"  
  
Draco wasn't sure he heard her right. And he couldn't think of anything else to say but 'Fine.'  
  
But just before she turned up on a corridor to the left, Draco added hastly an 'Er-thanks' before he scrambled back to the Slytherin Tower. That was one night down.  
  
"Only fourteen more nights to go." Draco mumbled exhaustedly to himself as he slid quietly inside the Slytherin common room. 


	8. The Peculiar Treat

A/N: Okay, my hands still hurt from correcting all the typos in this chapter. But it will all be worth it if you kind people will just review! Thanks a lot! Also try reading: You Ought To Know in the original poetry section. I wrote it and I'd love to know what you think about it. Thanks for those who reviewed!  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 8 -The Peculiar Treat  
  
The next day dragged on like any other until it was finally Friday. Hermione was still looking a little groggy and unfocused but that might as well be because she wasn't getting enough sleep preparing for the N.E.W.T.s as everyone thought, except Ron. He noticed that Hermione was making it a habit to disappear after classes. At first he thought she was with Harry but as he and Harry were together yesterday, he discovered that Hermione hasn't been ten feet near Harry or anyone this past week. And his suspicions were getting the better of him. It was Draco who was bothering him the most. He hadn't been himself lately, although he was still quite as annoying, he didn't seem to fancy targeting Hermione anymore. And even worse, he kept catching Draco casting glances at Hermione as though they had an understanding or something.  
  
"Umm, Harry" Ron started, poking Harry in the ribs with his quill.  
  
"What?" said Harry, looking annoyed. Ron saw that he had been making circles in his paper with the names of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in them.  
  
"Does Hermione tell you where she's staying after classes?"  
  
"Why, do you care?" Harry asked peering over him with a very irritating look.  
  
"No." he said plainly. Fine. If Harry was still going to bug him about making up with Hermione, then he just decided it wasn't worth it.  
  
Harry leaned back in his chair, now jabbing his quill hardly on the parchment. He hated Ron for not talking to Hermione until now. It was stupid and it was being a pain in his ass lately because Hermione kept landing him the It's-just-like-Ron-to-ignore-me-get-used-to-it-Harry line every time he brings up the issue. And he can't blame her since now that he'd thought about it, it was becoming even more plain to see that Ron was the one out of line. But the way Hermione was reacting towards the situation-so nonchalantly, was very annoying too. "They are both being self- centered." Harry decided as an ugly rip started in his parchment. Snape turned at the sound of ripping paper.  
  
"Is there a problem, Potter?" he snapped, eyeing him coldly.  
  
Harry didn't even bother to answer. He was so annoyed. He looked at Hermione at his side, saw her lids flutter a bit, then to Ron who raised his eyebrows at him. It was hopeless. He was just about to return to his lazy drone when the earsplitting bell rang. He stood up quickly and gathered his things. He hurried outside the dungeon, eager to get to his Quidditch practice when Hermione dashed from his side, almost knocking him out. He was about to call her out when he saw that he didn't have to. Ron had just cornered her and was holding on her bag strap firmly.  
  
"Hey!" Hermione started, but after seeing Ron, she tried to tag the strap away. Ron held on tight.  
  
"No.wait-er-Hermione." he said, still not letting go of the bag.  
  
Harry glanced nervously around. They were causing a hold up in the corridors and everyone was starting to look curiously at Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Uh-oh" Harry muttered silently.  
  
"Let me go, Ron-ald." she said coldly as a few Slytherins sniggered.  
  
Ron's face went red and Harry could see a huge row coming. So he placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and went to her side, casting a meaningful look at Ron.  
  
"No I won't, Hermione. Not until you tell me where you are going." snapped Ron, taking himself by surprise.  
  
"I think Hermione's going with me today, Ron. End of story." Harry was saying when Hermione piped in,  
  
"No, I think I won't, Harry. I'm not going anywhere near that Quidditch field of yours, no thanks. I have better things to do than that." she replied almost sarcastically. Harry stared wildly at her. Was she mad at him for playing Quidditch or something? Why didn't she tell him?  
  
"Hermione? Are you okay?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course she's not okay. She's been cracking her head open for that exams, Harry. But I don't want to be the one to break the ugly news to her. So please, do the favor for me." Ron said, staring daggers at Hermione.  
  
For a moment, Harry saw Hermione's shoulders quiver, in anger or despair, he hadn't had time to guess as she started speaking again.  
  
"What's the bad news Ronald? Did you just nip me out of your Priority Friends List?" There, she said it-exactly what she had in mind. There was a very pregnant pause in the hall that was quickly broken by the hearty laughter of not only the Slytherins, but everyone else in the hall. Harry looked around, desperately thinking of what to do. Should he just snatch Hermione and pull her somewhere away from Ron?  
  
"What if I tell you I just did, Hermione?" Ron asked tentatively but the effect it had on Hermione was irreversible. She staggered backwards and Harry could see hot tears escaping her eyes.  
  
"Who'd want to be in your smelly list, Weasel?" said a voice from the crowd suddenly. It was the drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Apparently, he had been standing there, watching the whole scene.  
  
"Everyone, Malfoy, everyone." Ron retorted nonchalantly.  
  
Harry almost flinched at this.  
  
"Too stupid to know that, aren't you Malfoy? Who are you playing the fool?" Ron continued coolly.  
  
"The only fool I see here Weasel, is you. You and your bloody list." Draco snapped as Hermione's sobs echoed in the hall. Harry went for her but Draco was on the way.  
  
"Back off, Malfoy before I get my hands on you." Harry heard himself say.  
  
Draco gave him a cold stare. "You heard her, Potter. She's not getting anywhere near you, so I think you ought to back your own ass off" Draco replied.  
  
Harry simmered with anger. The guts of Malfoy! But what he saw next that surprised everyone made him stop from barging on the git and skinning him alive: Draco actually heaved Hermione up and was brushing her tears away. Harry was too stunned that he just stood there gaping. Hermione looked flabbergasted and shoved Draco's hand away. Then she sped off towards the staircase-her hands hiding her face. Draco then turnned to them and gave Ron one last scathing look. Then he headed towards the opposite direction. The whole crowd murmured excitedly as they too scrambled towards their own common rooms. Harry was only able to catch 'Is that Malfoy?' and 'What's eating Ron?'. This was nothing to what was bugging him at the moment. He turned around and saw Ron still standing at the same exact position with the open mouth expression still plastered on his face. Harry went to him and looked at him square in the eyes.  
  
"What do you want?" he mumbled distractedly  
  
"I want to talk to you about Hermione, Ron."  
  
"What for? Didn't you hear her? She said she didn't want us anywhere near her!"  
  
Harry was greatly annoyed at this. "Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron. Hermione said she wasn't going anywhere near the Quidditch field, not us. Get a grip."  
  
But Ron just shook his head dispiritedly. "Sounds the same to me." he said.  
  
"Look, you started the fight. If you just asked her offhandedly, then maybe she answered you back."  
  
"And why should I do that?" Ron snapped stubbornly. "Because you wanted to know Ron!" Harry answered exasperatedly. Ron was being so dificult.  
  
"Well, I've just decided I don't wanna know."  
  
"Well, I've just decided I don't care." Harry said quickly then added "You have to talk to her, Ron. There must be something really disturbing her. Didn't you see her face when you told her 'bout the List?"  
  
Ron stopped grunting at this. He looked away, shuffling his feet consciously. "But didn't you see the way she looked at Malfoy?" he said, not looking at Harry.  
  
"No, I don't think I saw her. But Malfoy was acting weird."  
  
Ron snorted and gave Harry an incredulous look.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me that he likes Hermione? Because if that's what you're getting at..." Ron was saying when Harry cut him.  
  
"No, Ron, I didn't mention anything about Draco liking Hermione. I was just saying that perhaps we are overlooking something here. I mean, I haven't talked to Hermione this whole week and I can see that you haven't either. Don't you think."  
  
"That Malfoy is brewing up something on our backs?" Roon finished for Harry who nodded slowly.  
  
"That is impossible, Harry and besides I have more important things to do than sneak around trying to flgure out this nonsense." Ron said simply, walking away.  
  
Harry had a sudden urge to hit Ron in the head but he got hold of himself in time. Snape's dungeon was just a few meters away.  
  
"So that's it, eh? All this nonsense is getting the better of you Ron- er(Harry had almost said Ronald)? Oh, sorry, I forgot. Still got autograph signing to do, right? No, just go on. Don't mind me and Hermione..." he was saying as he walked past Ron who froze. "We don't want your goddam autograph. The time we do is the time we're ready for St. Mungo's." Harry said coldly, casting the dumbfounded Ron one last look.  
  
Ron stared after him. He hadn't meant to get Harry mad at him. What was he saying back there? Sure, he cared about Hermione and that slimy Malfoy. In fact Malfoy's big smely plan was killing him. But then again, Hermione had been very rude and he just can't put up with her talking to him like that. It was downright-annoying.  
  
"You deserve it Hermione. If you hadn't considered those blasted N.E.W.T.s in the first place, then we wouldn't have gotten in the wrong foot." he muttered to himself as he scrambled back to the Gryffindor common room. He was going to throw himself in bed and forget about all this before it got into his nerves.  
  
Meanwhile, Draco slipped out of the Slytherin common room after he was sure everyone thought he was in bed (He made sure everyone heard what he told Crabbe and Goyle about cursing the first person to disturb him in his bunk) He hurried to the Library and was lucky enough to dodge out of Madam Pince's sight as was pretty hard to imagine what sort of excuse he'd come up with again after he disappear within the shelves for the fifth time in a row. He clambered into the chambers and slipped in the secret niche. Hermione was already there as expected and she wasn't sobbing anymore. Draco edged near her but Hermione moved her chair backwards.  
  
"Hermione.what the?" Draco was saying when Hermione raised a hand to stop him from going any nearer.  
  
"Stay away from me, Malfoy." she said silently but with definite hardness in her voice.  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes at her but did just that. He sat at the far end waited for her to get over her mood. And for a long while, nobody said anything. Draco was starting to guess that this has something to do about him flattening out the git-Weasley.  
  
Hermione finally shifted in her seat and raised her face to meet Draco's. She had to get it over and done with and NOW.  
  
"Draco." she started quietly. "What did you do that for?"  
  
"What? Why did I slam the Weasel and told him the hard truth that he stinks bad?"  
  
"No, I mean, why did you go up to me in font of all those people?"  
  
There was a pause as Draco tried to figure out what Hermione meant with that. Then he looked at her darkly and said, "Oh, really sorry about that Hermione. I forgot that I'm supposed to be a non-existing f*ck to you and that I shouldn't be anywhere around ten feet near you when everyone's looking. As a matter of fact, I think I should disappear right now, shan't I?" he said all this very fast and he hadn't had time to think what it made him look. He was already standing when Hermione went up to him and stood in his way. She was looking at her feet.  
  
"No, Draco don't leave. Forget what I said. I don't know what I meant with them. I just wanted to say thanks for whatever you did earlier. That's all." She told him hastily but Draco could see that she meant it.  
  
"What about the you're my worst enemy and stay away from me part, huh?" Draco asked her coldly.  
  
"Oh, I guess you could drop that. Besides, you can't be that horrible, can you? So what do you think.truce?" she asked hopefully.  
  
Draco looked at her and smiled.  
  
"I was thinking if we could be friends."  
  
Hermione grinned at this, completely surprised at him. Perhaps he was just sympathizing with her or perhaps he just needed her for the N.E.W.T.s. Either way, he couldn't get himself to leave Hermione in the crummy place alone. And besides, he was starting to like her company-although he thinks she could be lot better without a single book in sight.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Draco asked Hermione tentatively. But this was enough to make her beam rather self-consciously at him.  
  
"I mean as you are in my Priority Friends List-you've got to be okay." After Draco said this, he looked at Hermione to make sure she saw that this was a joke No offense to Weasley-the pitiful. But Hermione just shrugged and suddenly flung her arms around Draco (much to his disgust).  
  
"Oh, Draco, I am so glad you told Ron that. I mean, I can't bring myself to tell him but...umm, did you really have to tell him off in front of all the people?" he heard her say to him in a very muffled voice.  
  
"I had to. That'd make him learn. After what he told you." Draco felt Hermione stiffen at this. The memory of that still stung. "Are you done, Hermione?" he joked as Hermione finally let go of him apologizing again and again. He watched her fumble for her wand inside her robe and for the first time, noticed how she looked. Sure she always had this wild, brown hair that came to her shoulders but it was certainly her eyes that made her stand out of the lot. They were so full of life-sharp and piercing yet warm and bright. These thoughts could have given him a sort of glazed look because he noticed that Hermione's eyes darted nervously at him.  
  
"Draco?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing." he said simply, pulling a chair out for Hermione. She took this peculiar gesture quizzically but sat down anyway. She still kept her x-ray look on him though. Draco leaned at the table and waved a hand in front of Hermione.  
  
"Granger, I demand that you stop staring and start the teaching." he said watching Hermione's cheeks go from pink to fiery red.  
  
"0h, sorry." she said shortly, reaching out for a few books and flinging them open. At a certain illustration of the Furnunclus Curse she smiled at Draco and gestured, "Closer, do you think?"  
  
Draco noticed the slight twinkle in her eye as she watched him move right next to her. He overdid it a little though they were now facing each other, their noses barely an inch apart. Draco watched Hermione's eyes glint nervously and laughed silently to himself.  
  
"Was she? Could she possibly think that I." He was having a bang musing about what Hermione could possibly be feeling right now when a sudden stab in his chest told him that he had been holding his breath. "Holding his breath...for what though?!" He thought, feeling a little alarmed Then he noticed that Hermione was muttering wordlessy at him, blushing furiously. It was quite a pretty sight. Then, feeling a bit ashamed at himself for enjoying it, he moved his chair politely backward and opened the nearest book to him. He tried to focus his eyes at the age-old manuscript, but in vain. He could still feel Hermione looking at him. Until he can't stand it anymore.  
  
"What?" he snapped at her, whirring at his side only to find that she wasn't looking at him at all. She was tracing some illustrations in a book with her wand.  
  
Hermione faced Draco who suddenly looked pale. She couldn't help but stifle a laugh. He was being stupid. She could just figure out the shocked expression in his grayish-blue eyes when he looked down on the book again with an amazingly stiff stare.  
  
"Are you planning on reading that at all, Draco or are you just gonna stare at it all night?" she asked him in a teasing manner. Draco didn't answer. Typical. Hermione closed her book and prodded him.  
  
"I think we can't have learning tonight. Our mind's too distracted to pick up anything."  
  
"Distracted?" stammered Draco, his voice a little higher than the usual. Why should she think that? Draco thought alarmed, the color draining from his face.  
  
"I mean, I am too distracted with Ron and Harry, I can't think straight. We can't possibly learn tonight." Hermione explained, finding the queer look in his face.  
  
Draco agreed to this. And besides, this was the last night of the week. They weren't supposed to be worrying about homework or anything else. If only Ron didn't choose this the time to rap Hermione with his stupidity. Then, Draco thought of something that was definitely going to take Hermione's mind away from those imbeciles. He stood up and grabbed her in the wrist.  
  
"Come with me."  
  
"To where?"  
  
"To a walk in the field?" Draco answered, opening the hole with the Incantation 'clover'. Hermione was staggering behind him and he helped her up after getting out of the niche himself. They straightened their cloaks and slid out of the library.  
  
"Why will we go to the field, Draco?" Hermione asked him as they passed a dozen rooms on their way to the spacious Quidditch grounds.  
  
"To watch the Quidditch tournament." Draco told her impatiently,  
  
"It's not until Wednesday, Draco. Are you trying to pull a trick on me?" Hermione said, stopping just before they reached the Great door.  
  
Draco Wlirred around at her and smiled. If she were somebody else, Crabbe perhaps, he would have cursed her with the Body slam hex or something. Patience wasn't really his best virtue.  
  
"I have a surprise for you. Now, if we could just go on?"  
  
Hermione peered at him then shrugged.  
  
"Well, okay. This has to be worth it."  
  
"Trust me, it is."  
  
They rushed hurriedly outside as soon as the door opened. They didn't stop to rest until the Quidditch field was at sight. But as soon as the green grass of the grounds was already at Hermione's feet, she suddenly became aware of the cold, night breeze sweeping her hair. And looking up at the empty stadium, she was able to appreciate the grandeur of the stands for the first time. The stadium could hold a hefty 5,000 crowd but when bewitched, as it usually was, it could hold double. If this was what they came here for, well, it was fine, not really amusing, but quite relaxing. She could already feel her troubles drift away with the wind.  
  
"Hermione, over here." Draco called to her.  
  
She whirred around to see him at the middle of the deserted field, his grayish-blue eyes blazing with excitement.  
  
"What now?" Hermione thought, as she walked towards Draco puzzled. She saw him raise his hand in the air and heard him call out 'Accio Narcissa!'.  
  
"Narcissa? His mother? Why would he bring her there for? And the summoning charm was not for people miles and miles away!" Hermione thought alarmed. But in a few seconds, she was able to recognize the thing Draco called 'Narcissa' and it was, to her relief, not Narcissa Malfoy.  
  
The swishing sound was getting more and more distinct. Hermione could sense it getting nearer and nearer until it was finally in view. It was Draco's broomstick, the latest Nimbus 3000. She realized how magnificent it was as it landed smoothly in Draco's outstretched hand. It was the best broom money could buy although second only to the Firebolt. Hermione watched Draco mount it but could not believe what she saw next: Draco was flying a few feet above the ground right in front of her, extending a hand to help her in.  
  
"What? Me in that thing? Oh no, Draco. You can't make me." she was saying, staggering backwards.  
  
"Hermione, come on." Draco insisted. "Trust me" he told her as she watched him wide-eyed. The phrase 'trust me' hit Hermione a little hard. She was terrified when she rode Buckbeak, a huge majestic creature with Harry. But in a small, frail, broomstick with Draco-she was scared to death. But she knew she couldn't say no. He went all through the trouble to get her on it alhough she didn't really thought it was enough trouble compared to what they were going to face later on that stick. Still thinking of how falling from a hefty fifty feet would feel like, Hermione felt herself extending a hand to Draco. He helped her ride in front of him, carefully positioning his arms around her until his hands found the steering handle of the broom in front of Hermione securely. Then with a soft kick on the ground, they lifted in the night sky. Hermione was clutching the handle tightly, with her eyes shut when she heard Draco's voice almost indistinguishable through the whirring wind.  
  
"What?" she shouted, not daring to look behind her.  
  
"Open your eyes, Hermione. It's a pretty sight."  
  
"How could flying with the likely possibility to crash fifty feet below be such a pretty sight?" Hermione thought desperately. But just then, she felt Draco lean over to her again and found his hands on top hers on the steering handle. She heard him say, "Now, Hermione, now." With all the courage she could muster, Hermione slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Draco was right. Everything was beautiful from above. The thousand rows of seat in the stadium looked so much smaller and so unbelievably shaped like a round saucer. The trees in the forbidden forest at the North looked nothing more but a freely mixed green paint in a drawing. It looked less dangerous from fifty feet above as she could no longer see the monsters that lurked the place. And Hagrid's hut Where is it? Oh, right there across the lake where the Whomping Willow was swaying its branches innocently in the wind. And of course, the night sky-words had failed her. She had never seen the stars seem this close before.  
  
"Like it?" Draco asked from behind her.  
  
"Yes, very. It's beautiful." Hermione gushed.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like five forevers, the ride was over. They slowly lowered to the ground and skidded to a halt at the center of the field. Draco hopped down first then helped Hermione dismount the broom. She was looking flustered as she had never ridden a broom before even if Harry, the Gryffindor Quidditch seeker, was her bestfriend. She had never thought it was possible too until then.  
  
"That was fun. Thanks." she mumbled as she hopped down the broom that was now floating lazily around them. But Draco did not let go of her hand yet. He was still clutching it lightly as his eyes watched the broom do a sort of dive.  
  
"That broom is very special to me." he told Hermione.  
  
"Like sort of a friend?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So that's why you call it Narcissa, after your mother. I assume-if you don't have a girlfriend named Narcissa, of course." Hermione stammered. She didn't quite understand why the idea of Draco naming it after another girl bothered her.  
  
"Yeah...I mean, yes it was after my mother." He said peering curiously at Hermione. "What if it was a girl?" He added nonchalantly.  
  
"What? I was just wondering.didn't mean to put emphasis on...Why do you ask me such anyway?" wheezed Hermione, her cheeks warming up. Draco just chortled. Then after a few infuriating moments for Hermione, he finally stopped and gave her a measuring look that she didn't like at all.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Y'know, Granger? You're pretty but..." Draco started, his measuring look still lingering at Hermione.  
  
"But what?" Hermione didn't dare hear what was next but Draco's answer came anyway.  
  
"But you're a Muggle and that's something." she heard him say before her vision blurred. She wanted to slap Draco but a part of her asked. "Why should you even bother? He always calls you that. Reality check Hermione, this is Draco Malfoy-not some goddam prince."  
  
And with that infuriated thought, she dashed away, feeling hopelessly drained of energy. She had almost believed that Draco wasn't half the jerk she thought he was. She was still cursing silently when two hands suddenly grabbed her.  
  
"What is this?" she started to say when the person held a hand on her mouth. "Why is everyone jumping up behind me?" Hermione tried to shout but her voice sounded weak and muffled. 


	9. Ron’s Big Blunder

A/N: Holy crap! This chapter is too long (cracking her knuckles which were numb with tire)!!! I really should learn how to cut my chapters in the right places. But anyway, this is for all of you nice, wonderful people who never get tired of reviewing. Just keep the reviews coming and I promise a faster update! (Reader groans and says: THIS IS BLACKMAIL!!!) Oh, well, that's life! Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 9 - Ron's Big Blunder  
  
  
  
"Hermione, it's me Harry. Don't go calling out the professors, we'll be dead!" said the person in front of her. She couldn't see if it was indeed Harry because the lights were already out but she recognized the voice.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Same thing I wanted to ask you. What are you doing here-I mean, out there with Malfoy....I hadn't planned on prying but...okay, I saw the two of you, no point in denying that. But what exactly you were doing with that slimy rot, I have no idea, so I guess I should be asking you." Harry had said all this in one breath that it took him some time before he could breathe on regulars again. Hermione seemed to be as surprised as him at the question as she didn't answer right away. Instead, she dragged Harry all the way back to the Gryffindor Tower, and only after having both themselves seated in each of its squashy chairs did she start to explain.  
  
"Harry, I was out there with Draco because he was showing me around.." Hermione said, trying to keep a straight eye on Harry.  
  
"With his broomstick, eh?" Harry said, looking ludicrously at Hermione.  
  
"Yes, with his broom Narcissa."  
  
"What did he call it? Narcissa?" Harry started to ask, a would-be-grin forming in his face. But he started questioning Hermione again,  
  
"Hermione, he told you that?"  
  
"Yes. Why shouldn't he?"  
  
"You mean to say, why should he?! The two of you are not really close buds in case you've forgotten and Malfoy's extremely touchy when it comes to things about his mother. So unless there's something going on that you ought to tell me, I can't find any reason why he should tell you that."  
  
Hermione looked desperately at Harry but seeing that there was no way hiding anything from him, she decided to tell him the story. Harry's jaw dropped and opened several times. And sometimes, his face even screwed up in disagreement as Hermione tarried on with her story on how she came to teaching Draco. She purposely omitted certain details like what he actually Draco told her back in the field. And after she was done with the whole story, her throat was extremely hoarse from talking.  
  
Harry stared at Hermione for a very long time. The weight of the whole thing took him by surprise and there were some things about it that didn't feel right.  
  
"Umm, Hermione? Why did Draco wanted to pass the N E.W.T.s?"  
  
"I realy don't know, Harry. He just said it was the most elite (actually, the word he used was descent but Hermione made some adjustments) spot you could get so..."  
  
"He went for it, that's all?"  
  
"Yes. But you don't believe that, do you?"  
  
"You know, it's a little fishy Hermione...."  
  
"I thought so too."  
  
There was another pause as Harry watched the drained look Hermione was wearing. And there was something else he needed to clarify.  
  
"Hermione, I didn't trade you for Quidditch. I was just so busy with the team reaching for my neck all the time, didn't realize what you were going through."  
  
Hermione stared at Harry's bottle-green eyes and saw that he was being honest. She realized that she missed that look very much. And with someone so....deceitful like Draco, it wasn't unlikely at all.  
  
"Hermione, I shouldn't have done that. I mean, I know you were already having trouble with Ron and I didn't even bother to stick up with you...." Harry was saying when Hermione cut him,  
  
"Nah, Harry, it wasn't your fault. You didn't have the time because the match is this week. I should have known that but I guess everything just took me too hard, with the N.E.W.T.s coming and all.." Hermione stopped here and tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks but before Harry could see them, she hung her head. She was being such a cry baby already.  
  
Harry placed a hand on Hermione's back and patted her clumsily. He didn't know it was that big a thing for her. He had been so insensitive  
  
"But not half as cold as Ron" He thought feeling a spark of spite for the friend. The problem would have been easier to resolve if only Ron was with them right now.  
  
"Hermione, I'm really sorry about that. Promise I won't insist that you watch our match with Ravenclaw this Wednesday. You could stay as far away from the field as you wish." he said grinning at her.  
  
Hermione looked up at him and smiled. Harry knew what was coming.  
  
"Thanks, Harry. I had been very silly!" she said flinging her arms around him, and when she finally let go, Harry started pouring her questions which he were killing him at the moment.  
  
"Hermione, where do you and Malfoy stay after classes? And you actually stomached that leech near you?"  
  
"First, I can't tell you where we stay." Hermione was saying. Harry was about to ask 'why' but she didn't let him finish.  
  
"And I did a fine job bearing with him, thank you very much. He was quite fine apart from the fact that he hated Muggles like me and that he is a.."  
  
"Slimy, stinking, rot who gives Death Eaters around the world a bad name?" Harry piped in.  
  
"Not exactly what I had in mind, but yeah, something like that." What she was actually trying to say was that Draco didn't know how to consider the words that were spilling out of his mouth and that he was hopelessly insensitive-plus cold. The thought of the scene in the field still irritated the hell out of her  
  
"And Hermione, you said Draco cured your ankle eh? Have you any idea how he knew how to do it?" Harry asked again, looking intensely at Hermione.  
  
"Good point, Harry. But I asked him that already and he didn't give me a descent answer."  
  
"I figured he wouldn't really spill everything out to you. Can you ask him that when you two get back together?"  
  
"Er..get back together?" Hermione repeated meekly.  
  
"I mean, when the two of you start the lessons again. What were you thinking?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
But Harry was having big suspicions and he noticed that Hermione kept mistaking Harry's questions as accusations of one thing or another. It was starting to worry him. Which brings him back to the question,  
  
"Hermione, what were you doing with Malfoy back there at the field?"  
  
"Harry, I told you, he was showing me around." Hermione replied defensively.  
  
"He had to place his arms around you?" Harry inquired.  
  
"That's so I won't fall off the broom!" she spat. But Harry could see her cheeks burn.  
  
"And he had to hold your hand too after the ride, I suppose?"  
  
"Oh, whatever! Think of it anyway you want, Harry. I hope you're happy." she cried, sitting on her chair sideways, trying to avoid his gaze.  
  
After a while, Harry spoke again, "Are you mad, Hermione?" he asked poking her in the ribs.  
  
"Nah."  
  
"But you're not happy at all that I'm asking you these?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Good! So how about it, what's there between you and that---er---Malfoy?"  
  
"Oh, I've had enough!" Hermione cried, standing up but Harry caught her on the shoulder before she had the chance to exit. He was forcing to stop what Hermione suspected to be a grin. He raked his jet-black hair and pointed at a great big cushion on the floor.  
  
"Hermione, I'm just joking. Sit down and relax, okay?" Then he added "I haven't heard from you for a long time. And I don't want to give you the impression that I'm trading you for Quidditch now, do I?" He told her smiling. Sitting with Hermione again even for just five minutes made him realize just how much he missed her. And adding the fact that he was guilty of ignoring his best friend, Harry couldn't help but feel his obligation to hear her out grow. He watched Hermione sink exhaustedly in the cushion and settled himself too at the black cushion next to her.  
  
"Hermione, don't you think you should make up with Ron?"  
  
"With him? After what said did to me?"  
  
"But he always calls you stuff. You know him." Harry tried to sound casual.  
  
"That's just the problem, Harry. He can't keep himself from insulting me and unless he decides to do just that, I am not supposed to talk to him again."  
  
"That's what Malfoy told you?" said Harry, knitting his brows in concern.  
  
"No. Keep Draco out of this please." Hermione said in a tone that seemed to say that Harry was giving Draco a hard time. But he didn't dare point this out to Hermione.  
  
"Well, sure. If that's what you want. Just keep me posted, okay? In case you think it's time to lift your hostilities with him..." Harry tried to say in his calmest voice but it didn't work though because Hermione shot him a sympathetic look.  
  
"Oh, Harry, I don't want to trouble you with our fight but I guess you're already caught in it. I still can't talk to Ron right now but are you okay with us warring on either side of you?"  
  
"It's okay, I'm fine, really. But I think I'd be better off if I came up with a crappy game plan for the team." he told her honestly.  
  
"Your talent and only talent-no game plan strategy didn't work?" Hermione asked grinning at him.  
  
"And you had to rub it in?" he replied smugly. Hermione just said 'Aha' to this although Harry couldn't see the point of 'Aha-ing' him when it was such a serious case like Quidditch. He tried to shift the topic away from Quidditch since it just makes him feel weak in the stomach.  
  
"Hermione, how is your review coming?"  
  
"Quite fine. At least it was better than last week."  
  
"Er-even with Malfoy around?"  
  
"Harry, it's fine with or without him."  
  
"No offense Hermione but I just can't imagine how it could be fine with him bossing you around."  
  
"He's not bossing me much."  
  
Harry stared at her not wanting to believe what she just said. He pulled his jaw together and blurted out,  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Forget it, Harry. Let's just talk about something else like if you're ever planning to review yourself."  
  
"Actually, I am not really-er-up to it and."  
  
"You're not planning to take it?! But Harry, you have a good chance on it, you've done serious defense against dark arts before wtth-er-the Dark Lord..."  
  
"C'mon Hermione, you know I still have to pass the tests and I'm not good on those." said Harry cutting her short.  
  
"But you could study with me!"  
  
"What? With Malfoy lurking around? Gee, that's a great idea Hermione but, no thanks." Hermione wrinkled her forehead  
  
"It's just for three weeks. We could still have learning together afterwards..."  
  
"I'm Quidditch captain now remember? I can't even put up with the practices, how do you expect me to have time for reviews?"  
  
Hermione looked outraged with the thought of trading the N.E.W.T.s for a game but she just closed her mouth about it. It was a good thing she and Harry were on speaking terms again and she didn't want to risk it. And besides, Quidditch really meant a lot to Harry.  
  
"Another topic do you reckon?" she asked smiling.  
  
Harry beamed at her. They chatted on until dawn ('Oh my God! It's two in the morning. Harry!) And since they were too sleepy to get to their own rooms, they just conjured up sleeping bags and at about two in the morning, Harry laid staring at the half-sleeping Hermione.  
  
"Hey, still up?"  
  
"Yeah." came a groggy answer.  
  
"I just wanted to ask you about Malfoy. It's something like this: was he being nice-I mean, less horrible to you in any way?" Harry asked although he knew it was pointless as Hermione was obviously drifting off to sleep. But he thought he heard her say 'ahlittle'. "Well, just don't let him get to you. You know how slimy that git can get eh, Hermione?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Good night, Hermione. And do try to watch the match okay?" whispered Harry as he zipped the sleeping bag up to Hermione's neck. He didn't go to sleep right away. He was watching Hermione carefully. What could Malfoy possibly want with her? Whatever it was, it would definitely be foul. If only he could guess what it was and if only Ron was smart enough to make up with Hermione so he could spy on Draco while he didn't have the time.  
  
"Blast that git!" he cursed silently to himself before zipping his own sleeping bag close. It was another Quidditch day tomorrow and he still had some smelly work to do with that game plan. Everything went well that night. He was thankful he went to field for some late practice. Otherwise he wouldn't have seen Hermione and Draco and their-er-nice ride. He just hope things go smoothly too tomorrow with the team.  
  
"Hey, Ronald Weasley!"  
  
Ron spun around and saw Albertine skidding to him. He just came down for some breakfast when the Slytherin team captain caught up with him. He grinned a half-grin at him and said, "How're yeh doing, you big oaf?"  
  
Albertine looked taken aback at this but he forced a smile anyway. "Fine, Hey look. I got to talk to you about something."  
  
"I really haven't had any breakfast. I am sure you could wait."  
  
"Actually, no. This is a serious matter-the sort that only-er-high people like you could understand. Sure you have a minute?"  
  
Ron smiled at the mention of being one of the 'high people'. Finally, someone actually appreciates his newly found status. Albertine really knew his way around people and he could take a good spot in his circle, if he kept it up, of course.  
  
"Sure. What's up?"  
  
"Follow me, okay?"  
  
Ron nodded, careful to keep his chin up on the air all the time. He followed Albertine right on a sharp turn to the right and to a corner away from the noise of the Great Hall. He watched him twist his face in a nervous sort of way and waited for him to speak up.  
  
"Ronald, you're friends with Potter, right?"  
  
"What about him?" Ron asked in an annoyed tone. Albertine couldn't have possibly dragged him all this way just to ask for Harry's autograph now, could he?  
  
"Nothing, really. Just thought he should be sticking out with you lately since his scar appeal is wearing off. It's just the right spot for him, y'know, right at center of all the attention."  
  
Ron grinned heartily at this. Albertine had really good taste. He probably saw him for what he could really come up to be even before he had the bucks to spend on him.  
  
"But you see, he's quite braggy about Quidditch and it kills me to know what he's so showy about. He can't really come up with a killer game plan can't he? I mean, without your help, Ronald. You see, I saw you mount his broom last week and you've got skills but you're probably not the showy type though, since you'd rather stroll around having fun than break your back having everyone slapping them." said Albertine, smiling sheepishly at Ron whose face lighted up.  
  
"You know, I think he did come up with a crappy plan although I doubt if it would be of use since he hasn't shown me it yet." he told him without thinking.  
  
"Good, then perhaps we could take a quick look at it, eh?"  
  
Ron eyed him suspiciously . "Why do you want it?"  
  
"So you and me could rate its efficiency. I am not saying I'm better than you but I do know some things about Quidditch. And with our tips, Potter could have some hope against Ravenclaw on Wednesday. God knows we want to meet him at the Finals. But first, we've got to help him out with Ravenclaw, don't you think so?"  
  
Ron nodded numbly. He can't say no to Albertine. He won't think he's cool enough anymore. And besides, it was just a peek and they wouldn't be playing against Slytherin anyway.  
  
"Right, so meet you back here in a few minutes?"  
  
"Right." said Albertine beaming.  
  
Ron walked up the Gryffindor tower to ask Harry if he could let Albertine a go on their sketch plan although he didn't think Harry would like the idea very much. He had just stepped in through the portrait of the fat lady when he remembered that he and Harry weren't talking.  
  
"Oh real smart, Ron. How could you forget that all-purpose scarhead isn't sticking up for you? Really great.." he was muttering irritated when he stumbled on a heap at the floor. He looked down to see that it was Harry, still wrapped up in his sleeping bag.  
  
"You still haven't gotten up yet, Harry?!"  
  
Harry didn't even stir He was still breathing at regulars and it seemed obvious to Ron that from the time he left the common room for breakfast, he had still been snoozing. But what attracted his attention was the piece of parchment sticking out from beneath his sleeping bag. Ron pulled it off, careful not to wake Harry.  
  
"Aha!" he muttered, recognizing the neatly scrawled circles and labels. It was Harry's game plan. Ron hesitated a little. Then after a moment of thinking, he realized that he'd rather see one furious Harry than not live to see the day when everyone was appreciating him. It was his last year at Hogwarts and he just can't remain a skinny nobody for the rest of the year.  
  
"Just going to borrow this for a while, okay?" he choked, turning towards the hole before he had time to change his mind. Anyway, Harry was his friend. If anything went fishy, he'd make him understand. But right now, that was just the least of his worries.  
  
  
  
It was Monday morning at Hogwarts. Hermione walked past the busy corridor to the grounds across for her Herbology class with Professor Sprout. She was in a very cheerful mood today since she had just had a nice Draco-free weekend. Apparently, he had enough decency to get out of her way for the whole Saturday and Sunday. And if he could just stretch it out a little..  
  
"Ouch!" Hermione squealed as she felt herself crash to someone.  
  
"Watch it, Granger." the cold, drawling voice of no other than Draco Malfoy came. He was standing right in front of her near the open greenhouse gate.  
  
"Draco! What do you think are you doing, spreading yourself all over the place?!"  
  
"I was just standing here when you came strutting and bumped your bushy head at me."  
  
"Just get out of my sight Draco before I." she was fuming when Harry suddenly tugged from her side  
  
"Umm.Hermione, we're running a little late here." he told her meaningfully. Hermione checked her watch and give out a small gasp. She looked at Harry apprehensively,  
  
"You're right! Oh. Professor Sprout will not like this." And with that, she hurried away.  
  
"See you later, Malfoy." Draco heard Harry say after throwing him a look that spelled out suspicion. He had just meant to talk to Hermione but leave it to Potter to stick around her like a parasite. Draco thrashed at the ground for a while, sending dust flying around him. Only after he saw Hermione and Harry disappear inside the greenhouse did he decide to head for the castle and leave. Surely, there must be somewhere Hermione went without scarhead at her heels and he had just the whole day to find out.  
  
  
  
Inside the greenhouse, Harry dabbed a muddy finger at Hermione's working cloak.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
"Sorry, Hermione, but mind if we talk alone? I've got something to tell you." Harry told her, gesturing at the vacated working table at the far end. He saw Parvati and Neville nod their consent.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione inquired hastily. Professor Sprout was discussing a very important lesson she was very interested at.  
  
"Hermione, Draco's not in our Herbology class."  
  
Hermione gaped at him. "Honestly, Harry! You wanted to tell me just that and you had to drag me away? Of course he's not in our class, where have you been all the time?"  
  
"I know and that's what I'm trying to point out. He's not taking Herbology with us but you bumped into him on your way here."  
  
Hermione continued to stare at him pretending not to get a clue of what he was talking about.  
  
"Hermione, isn't it obvious he was waiting for you to show up there? Don't you see that?" Harry told her impatiently.  
  
"What if he was just strolling around?"  
  
"Strolling right in front of the greenhouse gate? I don't think so."  
  
Hermione just shrugged and started to return to the working table. "Harry, you're just imagining stuff. I have better things to do than watch out for a stalking Draco or listen to you blubbering about him. Just drop it, okay?"  
  
Harry watched her wearily. Hermione wouldn't notice a dirty motive unless it danced naked in front of her. But later events proved how entirely wrong he was. After catching Draco cast dark looks at Hermione far the umpteenth time, he finally had his doubts secured when their Potions class came.  
  
Draco approached Snape to ask for a new seating arrangement and to Harry's disgust, he and Ron ended up working with Crabbe and Goyle while the whole back-most table remained for Draco and Hermione alone.  
  
"But sir, I thought there's supposed to be four to a table." Harry prompted to Snape as he caught the triumphant sneer in Draco's face.  
  
"You got that right, Potter. But if you will try counting the class, you'd notice there are two excess pupils. And I think this justifies my choice unless you prefer splitting up Granger into three pieces. And we don't want that now, do we?"  
  
The whole Slytherin lot laughed heartily at this but Harry was glad to see that Draco didn't look too happy with his question. Once or twice he tried to purposely make round trips to the thrash can just to catch a bit of Hermione and Draco's conversation. ButSnape kept catching him all the time and he was starting to feel weary. Perhaps he'd just have to wait 'till end of Potions.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?" Ron asked from his back. Harry spun around to see a very disturbed look at Ron's face. If there was anyone who'd not be okay, it'd definitely be Ron. But because he was too busy spying on Hermione, Harry didn't take any regard of this.  
  
"I'm cool, Ron. Just worried."  
  
"But the Quidditch match is not until Wednesday!"  
  
Harry stared dumbly at Ron. "It's not the match that I'm worried about-it's Hermione." Harry wasn't able to catch Ron's reply because the bell just rang and as expected, Draco and Hermione were again nowhere in sight But so was Ron, Harry realized when he turned around to talk to him and found no one but Crabbe and Goyle. They were still pounding stupidly at their bicorn horn, oblivious to the fact that everyone was scuttling to get out of class.  
  
"Trolls.you see them everywhere." he muttered disgustedly before hurrying out of the room himself. He turned hastily towards the Quidditch field, rehearsing the pep talk he intended to give the team that afternoon. If the team would bite it, they would probably believe his made-up game plan too. It was just too bad that he lost the sketch he made last Friday. It was mostly thrash but the team would believe anything that was labeled 'game plan' anyway. And it was the best he could do to improve their poor performance. The Draco-stalker thing had to wait 'till tonight. Right now, he'd better look convincing enough otherwise they could just forget placing a foot in the Finals.  
  
  
  
"Calm down, Ron! You got everything under control. Harry didn't even notice that the game plan was gone. You're just going to tell Albertine that it's about time he hand you over the plan because you promised him a peek-just a peek at it. And he'd already had it for the whole weekend! Surely that was more than enough." Ron was telling himself over and over again when he heard familiar voices arguing at the vacant room to his left. He went over the door and peered inside to see Hermione and Draco having a row.  
  
"Just drop it, Malfoy!"  
  
"I'm not taking orders from you, Granger. Let's just get this over with."  
  
"Forget it."  
  
"Come on, Hermione. I have Quidditch practice tonight. Don't make me any later than I am already."  
  
Ron saw Hermione give Draco an exasperated look then she threw her hands in the air in frustration.  
  
"Fine Draco, whatever you want. Just let me go."  
  
Ron watched as a lop-sided grin formed in Draco's face. Then too late, he realized that their little chat seemed to be just over because Hermione already had her back at Draco. But before he could make a run for it, he saw her already bounding towards the door-right at him!  
  
"Hey, Granger, good night. I'll see 'ya." he thought he heard Draco say before he managed to duck into a narrow corridor at the side of the room, missing being discovered by a hairline.  
  
He heard Hermione utter 'fine' but only after seeing her storm away angrily and Draco disappear at the other corridor, did he come out of his hiding place. Standing up, he tried to organize the things he had just heard. He could clearly recall hearing about getting something over with and 'Quidditch'. Yes, he definitely heard Quidditch. He was so sure the talk was about the coming match this Wednesday. Ron's stomach did a very funny lurch.  
  
"Uh-oh, this is really getting screwed up. I think Harry should know this one." he muttered to himself concluding that Hermione hated them so much that she was willing to see a Slytherin victory just to extract her revenge. With that disturbed thought, Ron hurried towards the Gryffindor Tower looking more anxious than ever.  
  
Late that night, Hermione was still in her chamber, flipping pages of an old book idly. She had already finished all her work and was already rechecking them for the third time but still Draco hadn't appeared. He insisted that they meet here tonight after his Quidditch practice because he had to tell her something. Hermione guessed this had something to do with the ride last Friday and tried to tell him off earlier after their Potions class, but he refused. So here she was waiting for Draco for God knows what time, Hermione thought irked, until she heard the hole scraping open.  
  
"Oh, so you decided to show up after all."  
  
Draco stared at her reluctantly and looked as away. He was late-dead late. It was all Albertine's fault. He made them practice all night, telling them that this was to compensate for their lost practice time last week. Draco thought this was bull since they didn't know that they were supposed to have a match this Wednesday until now. And he was 100 percent sure that the Gryffindors didn't know it either. This was what he had to talk to Hermione about. But before that, the disaster in the ride first.  
  
"I'm sorry Hermione."  
  
Hermione peered curiously at Draco. That was a strange response to get from him. "I told you already-it's nothing. It was just a very normal thing for you to say since you really hate me and I just over-reacted, that's all. End of story."  
  
"I don't hate you.Really, I don't."  
  
"But you hate Muggles and that's really just the same thing."  
  
"But Hermione, you're different."  
  
Hermione felt relieved to hear this but there was something else...  
  
"But you pointed out to me last Friday that I am a Muggle, Draco!"  
  
"Forget what I said Hermione. I was just trying to." Draco stopped at this. He was about to tell Hermione that he meant to say she was special even if she was a Muggle but the conflict his feelings for her brought about somehow got intertwined with his words, but he decided that this would sound too cheesy.  
  
"You were trying to what, Draco?" Hermione asked.  
  
Draco stared at Hermione's hazel eyes. They never fail to give him strange warmth whenever he looked at them. This was one of those times. And finally deciding that he cared the least whether his father would be outraged or not, Draco reached out for Hermione's hand.  
  
"I don't know what I meant by that."  
  
"That's nothing new."  
  
"But I think I like you."  
  
"You what? Now that doesn't make sense at all!" Hermione said, feeling a little dizzy at the moment. Draco just shrugged impatiently and dropped her hand. Hermione noticed that he was looking paler than usual. She started regretting having acted the way she had.  
  
"I know it sounds stupid so just forgot I said that okay?"  
  
Hermione nodded numbly. She was still not believing what Draco just told her.  
  
"Hermione, I have another thing to tell you." said Draco, waving a hand lazily at the dazed Hermione. Hermione tried hard to look Draco in the eye.  
  
"We are playing against Gryffindor this Wednesday."  
  
"You are not. Ravenclaw is matched up with Gryffindor on Wednesday."  
  
"That's what's supposed to happen but Albertine came up with this plan to bring the Gryff-I mean you guys down. He somehow convinced the Ravenclaw captain to ask Madam Hooch to cancel their match on Wednesday because of some crappy excuse about their chasers catching the flu at the same time. And since we have the same team standing as them, Madam Hooch agreed to put us on."  
  
"But Albertine haven't told Harry about this."  
  
"I know. He wasn't planning to tell anyone. At least not 'till late tomorrow afternoon."  
  
"But Harry's been expecting Ravenclaw!"  
  
"That's why you got to tell him this, Hermione. Otherwise, we're going to stomp them flat on Wednesday."  
  
Hermione gaped at Draco. She must definitely be dreaming. Draco against a Slytherin victory?  
  
"B-but why are you telling me this?"  
  
"I don't know myself. Perhaps because I.."  
  
"No don't tell me that crap again, Draco. It's getting on my nerves."  
  
"Tell yow what again, Hermione? I was trying to say I wanted to crash Potter fair and square on Wednesday. What were you thinking?"  
  
Hermione blushed deeply at this. Draco stifted a smile.  
  
"Forget it, Malfoy."  
  
"So we're back to surnames, Granger?" Draco asked grinning.  
  
"Drop it, Draco."  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
"Is that all? It's getting pretty late." Hermione said flatly, getting the impression that Draco was toying with her.  
  
"Ye p."  
  
"Good."  
  
Hermione started for the hole, darting quickly so as not to let Draco see her face. She was sure it went the color of a tomato. Draco scrambled quietly behind her and they both made their way up the Tower. But when Hermione turned right and Draco was still right behind her, she stopped and faced him.  
  
"Draco, the Slytherin common room is to the left."  
  
"I know, Granger, I know."  
  
"Then why are you still stalking me?"  
  
"Escorting, Granger, not stalking."  
  
"You are what?"  
  
Draco gave Hermione the measuring look she hated. Hermione flinched at the stare.  
  
"Don't fuss, Hermione. I am just escorting you to your common room. It's late and it's my fault you're still up."  
  
Hermione had her suspicions but the sooner she got to the common room, the sooner she get to tell Harry. And arguing with Draco wan't going to help.  
  
"Whatever." she muttered.  
  
They walked on without talking to each other until they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione turned to Draco who was still fixing her a very peculiar look.  
  
"This is it." she told him icily.  
  
Draco nodded and turned lo leave. Hermione watched him in the dark but after a few, agitating seconds, she called him back  
  
"Draco!"  
  
"Uh-huh." Draco said without turning back.  
  
"Did you really mean what you said?"  
  
Draco stopped dead in his tracks. She couldn't be possibly be asking him about the match. But why should she care though? It was very nice of her to wear that mortified look earlier (at least she didn't slap him forthright as he'd expected), but did she really have to rub it in?  
  
"Yes, Granger, I do mean it." Draco hissed. And with that, he stormed away feeling ashamed and relieved of a burden at the same time.  
  
Hermione smiled to herself but after realizing the urgent matter she had to discuss with Harry, she quickly turned to enter the hole only to find Harry and Ron waiting for her at the common room. Ron, who looked outraged and shocked, spoke first.  
  
"What were you doing with Malfoy at the dead of the night?"  
  
"We can settle that later Ron. I have to talk to Harry."  
  
"And you had to show him the way to our common room eh?"  
  
"Ron! What are you saying? What's up with you and common rooms? It's not supposed to be exactly hidden, you know? Even I know where Draco's common room is."  
  
"Aha, just as I thought! While me and Harry here are worrying about his stolen game plan, you are fraternizing with the enemy!"  
  
With this, Ron got the same reaction from both Hermione and Harry.  
  
"Ron, calm down!"  
  
Ron turned to look at Harry who was staring at him as if he was a maniac.  
  
"Ron, there's a lot of things you don't understand. Just sit down for a moment. Tell him Hermione." Harry said trying to force Ron to sit at a squashy chair.  
  
"No. I am not listening to that traitor! All I know is while Albertine's feasting his eyes on your game plan, Hermione here is plotting against us with that slimy Malfoy."  
  
Ron had hit the mark this time. Harry was surprised to see that Hermione wasn't crying instead, she was looking at Ron with something related to fury. He saw her walk up to Ron and give him a hard slap that left an ugly red mark across his face.  
  
"I will not be spoken to like that, Ron. And since you're too much of an idiot than you are a friend, I am leaving you to figure everything out by yourself. And don't ever tell me to talk to this freak again, Harry-ever." Hermione said in a voice shaking with unmistakable anger. And after a final flash of her eyes at the stupefied Ron, she stormed to the girl's common room.  
  
Meanwhile, Ron just stood there with his jaw hanging open, the intensity of the slap still evident on his face. Harry shoved him to the chair he was offering earlier and without hesitation, Ron took it.  
  
"Ron, I think I've never seen Hermione that angry before. The last time was with...."  
  
"Malfoy." Ron finished for him.  
  
Harry looked at him. Ron was still looking quite disoriented. He couldn't blame him. The slap was nothing short of pain and surprise. But after Ron was finally able to get a grip of himself, Harry started telling him about Hermione's little run-down with Draco. Ron's jaw dropped and opened at the right places And after Harry was done with the whole story, he was glad to see that besides disbelief, there were traces of regret in Ron's face.  
  
"But Harry, how about their chat this afternoon? I heard her and Draco arguing about the match in a vacated room, I swear!"  
  
Harry looked at Ron's impulsive face. Recalling the way he had reacted a while ago to Hermione, without knowing the truth behind it, he wasn't very sure he was ready to take his word seriously.  
  
"Look, Ron. They could be talking about anything. And even I who knew they were working together couldn't have guessed what that chat was about. How could you be so sure yourself?" He had intended not to sound too suspicious of Ron but it was of no use.  
  
"Harry, you saw her and Malfoy back there! Malfoy was practically goggling at her and she didn't seem to mind!"  
  
Harry wasn't able to stop himself from grinning.  
  
"Ron, that has nothing to do with the match. I think you're just jealous."  
  
Ron glared at Harry.  
  
"Look, Harry, I don't give a damn about what those two could possibly be doing. I am worried about the match on wednesday."  
  
"Okay Ron, if you say so.." Harry said in a very annoying tone. Ron glanced up at him. The look on Harry's face was killing him!  
  
"I gave Albertine your game plan last Friday and he refused to give it back. Don't you think that's not enough to keep you worred?" Ron said without realizing that he had just made a confession. He was able to remove the funny look in Harry's face but it was now replaced with a very dark look.  
  
"Ron, you gave Albertine my game plan." He heard Harry say. And he wasn't asking. He sounded like he was judging him. Suddenly, the guilt feeling at the pit of his gut burst out. He reached out for Harry's shoulder and shook him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry! I didn't mean to. It was very stupid of me."  
  
Harry just stared at him blankly. The game plan was really plain thrash and he would have willingly told Ron that he didn't mind, but a sudden idea occurred to him.  
  
"I can see who's the traitor now, Ron. And it's definitely not Hermione." he said coldly, turning out of Ron's sight to avoid bursting out in laughter. He was sure he was going to remember that guilt-driven look Ron wore for the rest of his life. But as for now, he had to talk to Hermione.  
  
Harry crept silently inside the hole to the girl's dormitories, careful not to wake up any of them and create a commotion. When he finally reached the last bunk with a sniffing bushy head in it, he slowly reached out to Hermione and poked her arm. Hermione almost jumped up in surprise. Luckily, her curtains were drawn, otherwise the other girls could have heard her gasp.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I was just checking if you're okay."  
  
Hermione wiped her eyes hastily and smiled,  
  
"I'm fine. But that was an awful thing I did to Ron, I hope he's fine too..." Hermione said in worried voice.  
  
Harry beamed at her. He knew she couldn't stay angry with Ron for a long time-even if it was not her fault Which brings him back to his little trick on Ron.  
  
"Hermione, about Ron. He just told me that he gave Albertine my game plan and I could see that he was really sorry about it."  
  
"You have a game plan?" Hermione asked dubious.  
  
Harry grinned at her.  
  
"Of course it was just trash but I thought it was nice to give him a scare so he wouldn't get used to calling you stuff next time." Harry said looking warmly at Hermione whose face suddenly darkened.  
  
"Harry, I wasn't plotting against you."  
  
"Of course you weren't. It was just Ron's imagina...." Harry was saying when Hermione cut him.  
  
"And neither was Draco. He came to tell me that the Slytherins are playing against you this Wednesday and that Albertine wasn't planning on telling you 'till it was too late. He said he wanted to play fair, if you're thinking why he told me." She added hastily.  
  
"And please don't get mad at me for working with Draco."  
  
"I'm not mad-just worried And don't worry, I believe him. He isn't liable to tell you lies anyway, especially not now when he can't even take his eyes off you." Harry said as-a-matter-of-factly. He thought he saw Hermione blush.  
  
"I don't believe he likes me, Harry. It's just one of his dirty tricks to toy with me."  
  
"So, he actually told you he likes you? But how? What did he look like?"  
  
Harry was saying when Parvati stirred at their side. Hermione placed a finger on Harry's mouth to hush him. They listened quietly for a while until they heard Parvati's regular wheezing again.  
  
"Harry-tomorrow, okay?"  
  
Harry nodded disappointedly. But before leaving, he gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
"Good night, Hermione. Sweet dreams." he whispered, rushing out before Hermione could call out 'Harry!'. He was predicting this sort would happen but he trusted Hermione. She knows her way around and Draco would be too foolish to try to pull a trick on her. He assured himself this as he went to his own bunk. He noticed the big lump that was Ron at his side. He was covering himself with his too short blanket, trying hard not to stir. Harry knew he must have waited for him to return but he wasn't done with his trick yet. It wasn't long enough to make Ron repent.  
  
"Good night, Harry. Quidditch match on Wednesday, so sleep soundly." Harry said loud enough for Ron to hear. He saw Ron squirm beneath the covers before he pulled the curtains in his own poster bed close. That reminded him of his biggest problem-how they will get through Slytherin.  
  
"If only I had a crappy game plan..." he whispered to himself before drifting in a troubled sleep. 


	10. Hermione’s Gift

A/N: Okay, now this chapter came too short. Damn! So where do I get those chapter-cutting classes?? Huh, huh? Anyone?? *sighs* I hope you people are still hanging on out there because it gets pretty low sometimes when I'm typing all this-you can just imagine the beating my poor fingers get. HO- HUM. Enough crap. Just try to read and review. I really appreciate it!!!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 10 - Hermione's Gift  
  
  
  
Next day came faster than Harry had hoped and the anticipated match was making breathing a lot of a problem for him. He munched his breakfast distractedly and hurried on to talk to Professor McGonagall.  
  
"No Potter, I can't let you and the team skip classes to practice."  
  
"But Professor, we didn't know we were playing against Slytherin 'till today!"  
  
"That is beyond my responsibility, Potter."  
  
"But if you won't let us have the day off, we will lose!"  
  
At this, Harry thought he saw Professor McGonagall's face do the sort of twitch she always does when she was nervous. But all the same, she didn't let them be excused off their classes.  
  
Harry stomped angrily to his Herbology class. He was so angry he couldn't hear a single word Professor Sprout was saying. He continued on with his distracted mood until their next class, Advanced Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was in the middle of demonstrating how to transfigure into another animal when Hermione came bounding inside the room. She was panting very hard and there was a very tired look in her eyes.  
  
"S-sorry P-Professor McGonagall!" She wheezed, still trying to catch her breath.  
  
Harry dropped out of his daze and stared disbelieving at Hermione. He hadn't noticed that she wasn't in their classes but now that he did, he found it very difficult to explain.  
  
"I-I woke up late and I.." Hermione stammered furiously.  
  
"First, Granger, take a seat and we'll talk about this later."  
  
"I am so sorry, Professor."  
  
"Perhaps you are. But it doesn't change the fact that you are extremely late and for that I take five points from Gryffindor."  
  
"That's all?" Hermione spat shrilly.  
  
"Yes, Ms.Granger and only because this is your first offense." said Professor Mcgonagall, the stern look still imprinted on her face.  
  
Harry watched Hermione take a seat beside him and didn't wait for her to catch her breath.  
  
"Hermione! Where have you been? You were out of Herbology and you are late for this class."  
  
Hermione looked as though she was in the middle of answering a very difficult exam. She fumbled inside her bag for a parchment and held it out to Harry.  
  
"Here, I stayed up 'till morning to finish that. I thought it might come in handy. Now, will you please let me listen to the rest of our lesson?"  
  
Harry nodded numbly. What was with Hermione? She was never late for classes before. That definitely came as a surprise. Harry was thinking as he opened the neatly-rolled parchment. He couldn't believe what it was.  
  
"Hermione! You made a game plan for me?"  
  
Hermione whirred at him, looking annoyed but smiling at the same time.  
  
"Harry, later okay? I'm trying to catch up here.."  
  
He saw her return to her focused stare. He grinned a grateful smile at her back before laying the parchment flat at his lap. The parchment had complete illustrations and labels of the Gryffindor players. He was surprised at just how much Hermione knew about Quidditch. Although she never played it, he was sure she researched about it. There were some terms that even he didn't understand. But by looking at the diagrams, he understood what she meant with them. It was almost like the gameplans Wood came up with, only better.  
  
After their Advanced Transfiguration class, Harry rushed to Hermione beaming from ear to ear.  
  
"Hermione, thank you for this. This is one heavy load off my shoulder."  
  
"No problem, Harry, Just lend me your notes in Herbology." she said smiling.  
  
And with that, they went through their classes. It was not long after Harry was finally out in the field with a very glum-looking team. They didn't even stir when Harry stood up to start his pep talk. They all looked drained of energy but at the sight of Harry unfolding a parchment, they all sat up straight and tried to see if it was any better than the absurd one he presented them yesterday. And even before Harry was done explaining it, they were all chatting excitedly about the coming match.  
  
"This is unbelievable! I think we actually have a chance against Slytherin." beamed Lavender to the team.  
  
"I knew this was coming, of course. Professor Trelawney told me that a very nice thing will happen to me today." she added.  
  
It took quite a while before the prattles died down. But when it did, everyone listened with amazing attentiveness at Harry as he gave out their parts.  
  
"Now remember team, we need this cup and we are going to get this cup no matter what. We are going to pull Slytherin down and give them a hard lesson about playing fair. We won't let them get away with this!" Harry barked furiously.  
  
But as it turned out moments later, the team didn't need prepping. When everyone mounted their brooms, Harry swore he had never seen them fly like that before. They were all moving in sync with each other as if scoring a goal was all they ever did. Everyone was just burning with optimism and urge to win. Hermione's game plan worked far more efficient than Harry thanked her for. 


	11. The Quidditch Match Mishap

A/N: Now, this is my favorite chapter!!! I just think it has more action to it and y'know..all that stuff you use to praise yourself when no one else is reviewing you. *sniff* Puh-lease review, wonderful people!!! And if you like it, please try to recommend me to other people! I am really getting low nowadays. HO-HUM!!! Thanks again for all those who reviewed especially Lil!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 11-The Quidditch Match Mishap  
  
  
  
The day of the Quidditch match, everyone on the breakfast table was eating rather faster than they would have done on regular days. Neville Longbottom kept dropping his spoon nervously with a loud clank and Ron was making it a habit to keep knocking his glass every five minutes. But no one looked nearly as apprehensive as Harry.  
  
"Harry, come on, eat something. This match will be fine." Hermione piped offering him a treacle tart. A loud crash told them that Ron had finally managed to knock his glass over the table. He was looking pale and his eyes were dug in deep as if he wasn't able to get any sleep last night.  
  
"Ron-the game plan-trash." Harry blurted out without thinking. He hadn't meant to break his trick yet but he just couldn't stand Ron looking so tense and disoriented. It was infectious.  
  
Ron looked at him incredulously. He hadn't understood a thing Harry said but it made him feel better to know that he was speaking to him again.  
  
"Harry, really sorry..been stupid.."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"You too Hermione-sorry."  
  
"Fine."  
  
After that, they all felt a bit better. But before they could say anything more, Professor McGonagall signaled them to get outside for the match. Harry finally left his seat were his bum was getting numb at the moment, to head to the field. And as soon as he went outside, the bustle of the crowd filled his ears. He saw Madam Hooch call Albertine and him to the center of the field. He staggered to her and managed to get into a clumsy handshake with Albertine. For a fleeting moment, Harry realized that he still couldn't feel his fingers.  
  
"Mount your brooms."  
  
Harry raised himself to his Firebolt and immediately, warmth spread to his hands and limbs. His nervousness drained away as he looked determinedly at the cheating team captain of Slytherin. They just got to win this match.  
  
"And up they go! And there we see Harry Potter, Gryffindor's golden seeker, flying high with-is that Malfoy out there? Uh-huh. We can see it. He's closely being guarded by Slytherin seeker, Draco Malfoy." boomed the voice of Harry's bunkmate, Dean Thomas.  
  
Harry whipped hair out of his face and saw that Dean was right. Flying just below him was Draco, looking more murderous than ever. He tried turning to the left but Draco was flying too close to him and there wasn't much space.  
  
  
  
"Malfoy, get off my tail!"  
  
But Draco merely bore him with his fixed stare. He was focusing hard on Harry's every move to keep him from getting the snitch. He didn't care whether he had to get the snitch before Slytherin scored ahead. He just had to get it before Potter did.  
  
"We don't know what's wrong with the Slytherin seeker, but it seems like he's planning to stick around Harry 'till the end of the match! Is that cheating or what?" Dean boomed.  
  
Harry turned sharply downward. Then in circles. Then throughout the length of the field. But all the time he could feel the swish of Draco's Nimbus 3000 in his tail.  
  
"What is wrong with him? Did he think he could possibly jeopardize my catch of the snitch by flying next to me?" Harry thought, irked. Draco was being harder to avoid than obby's mad bludger.  
  
"Brown scores, Gryffindor leads by thirty points! We don't know what's been going on but Slytherin seemed to have lost its fang."  
  
When he heard this, Harry darted his eyes on the game below. He instantly noticed that the Slytherin players were moving in strange circles and lopsided arcs. No one was even guarding Lavender when she scored her third quaffle in a row.  
  
"Forty points to Gryffindor! Lavender is showing some moves there and Slytherin..they're still with their-er-unique routine."  
  
Harry spotted Albertine, the Slytherin keeper, barking out orders to his teamates as the fifth quaffle passed easily at his side. And the Slytherins players, all dumbfounded at yet another Gryffindor goal, straggled back on their strange formation. Harry watched them carefully. Then as if somebody lit a match in his head, he realized what they were up to. They were trying to follow his stupid game plan! He recognized those formations in the sketch plan that Albertine stole.  
  
Harry wasn't able to stop himself from laughing. But just as he did, he heard a very familiar hissing from below him.  
  
"Nice smile there, Potter. All this is turning out to be so amusing to you, huh?" The glaring face of Draco came into view. He was piercing Harry a look of hatred a bit higher in intensity than the usual.  
  
Harry was quite alarmed to see him without the regular sneer in his face. Draco looked dead serious without them and his face wasn't a very nice sight.  
  
"Something got to you, Malfoy? Why the long face?"  
  
"Let's just say something really did. But you can't know about that now, eh Potter? Since your head is already too big for you to see anything beyond your pretty scar."  
  
Without thinking, Harry instinctually darted his gaze at a particular spot in the stands. And Draco, curious to know if he had spotted the snitch, followed his look. And squinting hard, he recognized a familiar brown haired girl.  
  
Harry watched Draco's gaze lock at the Hermione in the stands.  
  
"I was right. Draco fancies Hermione!" thought Harry when something gold went past Draco's head. And with the flick of the eye, Harry started for it, breaking in a deep dive.  
  
"Whoa! I think Harry Potter just spotted the evasive snitch and he's bound to get it if he could manage to get out of that close trail Malfoy has set for him."  
  
Harry tried to fly faster but Draco was still on his heels. Then he started hovering up and down to slowly decrease his speed as they were already approaching the ground at an uncontrollable velocity. But when he glanced beneath him, Harry noticed that Draco was still drawing towards the snitch in the same deep, dangerous dive.  
  
"Draco, get up or you'll crash to the ground!"  
  
"Shut your big mouth, Potter!"  
  
Harry looked malevolently Draco. He was crazy! He was going to crash, for sure but he wouldn't listen.  
  
"Goddamit, Draco! I mean it, you're going too fast!"  
  
But Draco still speeded forward, his arms outstretched to the golden snitch which was flying mere inches beyond him. The only control now that he had of his broom was his legs, which were tightly clutching it.  
  
"I'm going to have you even if it kills me. No way way will Potter get to you.never!" Draco kept repeating to himself as he locked his gaze at the golden snitch. He had never wanted to have something this bad before. And without really knowing why, he started having visions of Narcissa. He saw her crouched at their garden swing, weeping softly for his father-Lucius. The scenes kept rolling in his mind like an old movie. He recalled the day when he heard them arguing loudly about where to send him to school. His mother wanted him for Hogwarts which was far nearer but Lucius wanted him for Durmstrang-out of reach and out of sight. Then he wanted him in the League without any explanation or whatsoever. His best guess was that his father was hoping he'd get killed in the crossfire and he loathed him for it but it brought him something good-Hermione. Her chestnut eyes which were always glaring at him.her hair and her smile-sending waves of cheery warmth to his cold heart.  
  
"What a scene we're having here! Potter and Malfoy are flying at unbelievably fast velocities! Malfoy is leading and Potter is hovering above him. Oh, my! They're almost at the ground now....Malfoy is still flying at a very dangerous speed.I think he's going to crash...."  
  
And moments later, Dean's guess was confirmed.  
  
"Holy crap! Did you see that?! The Sytherin seeker just crashed head first to the ground! Holy crap! That was such a bad crash, somebody get there now!!!" Dean shrieked to as everyone at the stands stood up looking horrified.  
  
Harry was the first who found Draco at the ground, motionless. He quickly felt for his pulse.  
  
"He can't possibly be dead!" he thought, alarmed.  
  
He had seen him crash to the ground and Draco just managed to prop his right arm on the ground which snapped with an ugly sound to prevent his weight from landing entirely on his head. But nonetheless, his crash was a very bad one. Harry saw him roll four times on his back before landing at a strange angle on the dust, his broom 'Narcissa' wrecked in two pieces beside him.  
  
"Hermione.."  
  
"Draco, can you hear me?" Harry asked, his ear an inch away from Draco's face. Did he just hear him speak?  
  
Harry watched his colorless face. It was a really scary sight and so-real. Then just as he was turning Draco's back to a better angle, something gold fluttered in the air.  
  
"Oh, my God! Get the boy, right now!" came the voice of Minerva McGonagall who finally arrived on the grounds with Severus Snape. They hurried to where Harry was still holding Draco and Madam Pomfrey immediately checked Draco's wrist.  
  
"He's alive." he thought he heard her say.  
  
Right after Draco was propped up on a floating stretch, he instinctually dashed up in the air and clutched the snitch which was fluttering clumsily a few feet above him. He noticed that its wings were a little dismantled.  
  
"Professor, the snitch.." he called out to Professor McGonagall who looked wearily back at him.  
  
"Oh, well done, Harry."  
  
"No. I mean, Draco got the snitch. Look at its wings-Draco flattened it to the ground when he crashed. He got it first."  
  
Professor McGonagall looked incredulously at Harry. Then she started speaking in a very explanative tone,  
  
"No, Potter. You got it. The boy passed out before he got hold of the snitch..."  
  
"B-But..He flattened it to the ground. I couldn't have gotten it otherwise." Harry was saying when the booming voice of Dean Thomas came again.  
  
"Oh, I think we see it-the snitch. Potter got the snitch, it's a Gryffindor victory everyone! What an incredible match-with a truly surprising twist! And oh, the Slytherin seeker will be fine, he is currently being propped up a stretcher to Madam Pomfrey's care. We could expect to see him up and about in no time." Dean announced as the Gryffindor cheers drowned the Slytherin groans.  
  
Harry couldn't believe how unfair the decision was. Draco got the snitch first-God, he almost died for it!"  
  
"Professor Snape!" Harry called out to the greasy haired professor who was administering the carrying of Draco. Snape turned to look at him with sharp, menacing eyes.  
  
"What could you possibly want, Potter?"  
  
"Professor, Malfoy got the snitch first. He fell on it and dismantled its wings. I merely snatched it hovering above him. It's really his. He got it first." Harry stammered furiously, handing over the slightly strangling snitch to Snape.  
  
Snape narrowed his eyes maliciously at Harry as though he was waiting for him to spill out some nasty joke. But Harry merely nudged the snitch closer,  
  
"Here, take it. Give it to Malfoy. It's belongs to him."  
  
"Harry, what are you trying to do? You got that snitch...." Professor McGonagall was wheezing at his side.  
  
"Yes, Potter. Take that snitch, the boy passed out long before he knew he was lying on it." Harry heard Snape say in drawling voice that rang with finality. And before he could press it on him further, Snape had already gone with Crabbe and Goyle chanting 'He's dead!' at his side and Pansy Parkinson bawling her head off.  
  
Harry whirred around disbelieving what had just happened. At the stands he saw scarlet flags waving excitedly in the air. The Gryffindors were still rejoicing their sweetest triumph together with the rest of the school except for the Slytherins who had already started filing out of the grounds.  
  
They had stomped Slytherin who wasn't even able to score a goal and Draco almost died trying to get the snitch-the snitch which was awarded to him.  
  
"Harry, you did it! You won over those cheating scums!" came Ron's voice as he emerged from the crowd of cheering Gryffindors. The team also joined him now, patting furiously at his back.  
  
"Quick instinct, chief!" exclaimed Seamus Finnigan who had big leaks of tears streaking down his eyes. Everyone kept throwing him praises left and right. Harry forced a grin at them but just as he did, he spotted Hermione at the far side. She tried to smile at him but Harry could see silent tears pouring down her cheeks. She was fidgeting nervously at her cloak, and there was a very sick look in her face.  
  
"Guys, I think I'd get some rest now." Harry managed to say when the team tried to heave him up their shoulders.  
  
"Right. Harry will go with me right now." Ron told them when he noticed the look Harry was wearing.  
  
"Whatever you need, captain! See you at the common room then!" Seamus beamed as the rest of the team nodded.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione headed silently to the tower. Ron kept stealing worried glances at Hermione who still hadn't spoken a word to them. She just kept on walking, fidgeting all the time. And finally, when they had reached the portrait of the Fat lady, Harry turned to Ron.  
  
"Ron, go in first. We'll follow later."  
  
Ron looked questioningly at Harry then at Hermione who was still very pale. Realizing that he had missed out an awful lot on them, he nodded regretfully.  
  
"See you both then." he muttered, trying hard not to look so down-trodden. He crept inside the hall where a Gryffindor party was waiting and smiled dryly at Harry and Hermione before completely slipping inside.  
  
"He'll understand soon." Harry assured Hermione.  
  
"But first, I have to tell you something. Draco muttered your name before he passed out."  
  
Hermione just smiled weakly at this.  
  
"That's nice."  
  
"Hermione, don't you want to go him now at the hospital wing?"  
  
"I can't.."  
  
"But you need to be there!"  
  
"Harry, don't you think Pansy's not there with him now and all the other Slytherins who hates me? Going there now would be suicide."  
  
Harry paused at this. That was a problem. But Hermione can't stand here fidgeting like a nut.  
  
"Okay, we'd see him when they've gone. I'll wait for you outside the portrait at midnight and we could visit him together."  
  
"Harry, why do want to do this so much?"  
  
Harry fought back a big wave of guilt that was swallowing him at the moment but to no avail.  
  
"I stole him this victory, Hermione. He told you about Albertine's scheme but I didn't have the decency to tell him that the game plan was thrash."  
  
"But you didn't know they were using it against us."  
  
"Yeah, but I should have thought about it, why else would Albertine want a match with us? It was very dense of me."  
  
Hermione smiled her first real smile.  
  
"Oh, Harry, thank you so much.." she quivered starting to cry all over again.  
  
"Don't mind it, Hermione."  
  
"I was so worried, I thought he died. I thought you won't want me to visit him too." Hermione sputtered, wringing her cloak apprehensively.  
  
"Hermione, Stop that! Just calm down and we'd see him later, okay?"  
  
She beamed at Harry. She felt so lucky to have a friend like Harry who understands.  
  
"Right. I can wait. But for now, I think we should try to forget it for a while. There's a party waiting for you inside. That was a real, neat dive, by the way."  
  
"Don't start that crap on me." Harry said as they entered the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
Hours later, Harry scrambled out of the portrait hole quietly. He didn't tell Ron about their visit to Draco since he was too full and too groggy from the celebration.  
  
"Harry, you're late!"  
  
Harry saw Hermione in her pink robes at the corner of the corridor.  
  
"Sorry. Ron won't wake up."  
  
"Then we have to go one without him." she whispered, turning to walk away from the portrait. Harry hurried to her side and they treaded their way to the hospital wing silently. When they finally reached it, Harry knocked hesitantly at the door. Madam Pomfrey soon appeared at the doorway, lookind harassed and irritated. Her gaze raked Harry and a wearied crinkled her forehead.  
  
"Oh, it's you. Did you break any of your bones again?"  
  
"No, actually we came to visit Drac...." Harry wasn't able to finish as Madam Pomfrey suddenly became hysterical.  
  
"You kids never give up, do you? After that terrible crash the boy had been through, you still had to bother him with your late visits? No way! He had enough of people arguing whether he's dead or not and girls bawling loud enough to wake the dead. No way! And if you two don't go back to your bunks right now.."  
  
"B-But Madam Pomfrey.." Harry started.  
  
"I said no. There's no more disturbing poor Mr. Malfoy." she was still saying when Hermione tugged Harry's sleeve.  
  
"It's okay, ma'am. We just wanted to know if he's fine. We're sorry we woke you up. We'll head back now." Hermione said.  
  
They were already walking away when Madam Pomfrey called them back.  
  
"You are Ms. Hermione Granger, right?"  
  
"Yes, she is." Harry answered for Hermione.  
  
Madam Pomfrey suddenly looked teary-eyed.  
  
"Well then, I think you I made a mistake. You should come with me. He had been muttering your name in his sleep. Poor boy.just got his left arm and left leg restructured. Mind you-it took me quite a while before I was able to figure out how to fix him. By the way, are you couple?"  
  
Harry answered 'No, we're not.' wearily. He was so used of people mistaking them as a couple that it didn't surprise him anymore.  
  
Hermione peered quizzically at him. Then she said: "No, I'm not Draco's girlfriend, ma'am".  
  
"Oh!" was all Harry could say. "She was referring to Draco and Hermione. How stupid of me." Harry thought dully as Madam Pomfrey led Hermione in.  
  
"Aren't you coming?"  
  
"I'll just wait for you here. I don't think Draco would be very happy to wake up seeing me."  
  
Hermione just nodded and by the way she rushed to Draco's bunk, Harry could see that she was very eager to see him.  
  
Hermione peered at the sleeping Draco. He was still pale but the color of his lips had returned. She didn't know what made her do it but she suddenly reached out for Draco's hand and without knowing, started splashing it with tears.  
  
"Now, now, young lady. He's okay. Don't worry too much. Oh, sweet things......" Madam Pomfrey kept muttering as she gently prodded Draco awake.  
  
"Look who has come to visit you." she told him.  
  
Draco stirred and slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He turned to Hermione uncertainly and tried to focus to see who it was.  
  
"Herm..Hermione?"  
  
"I'll leave the two of you alone okay? Oh, sweet things, reminds me of my own days." Madam Pomfrey chuckled as she drew the screen of Draco's bunk close.  
  
For a while, Draco just watched Hermione sob silently. He could feel her quivering as she held his hand. He had been waiting for her to show up all day but all he saw were Crabbe and Goyle and Pansy and some kids he didn't give a damn about so he just pretended to be asleep all the time.  
  
"I-I t-thought you di-you were hurt so bad. I was so scared." Hermione stammered splattering Draco's hand with more tears. She didn't intend to burst like this in front of him but she wasn't able to stop herself.  
  
Draco smiled weakly at Hermione and squeezed her hand. He realized that what he was dreading had happened. He fell for Hermione. It was the last thing he'd have thought of some time ago but it was also the strangest thing he had ever felt. Of course he had always known far more attractive girls before but Hermione was different.  
  
"And for what reason?" Draco was musing when he suddenly pulled Hermione's arrn that was clutching his hand and carefully rolled up the sleeve of her cloak. And before Hermione could raise an eyebrow in question, he started planting light, soft kisses on her arm. He had done this very swiftly and without lingering. And right after planting the last kiss on Hermione's shoulder blade, he looked up at her, smiling mischievously, and asked in a teasing manner,  
  
"Like it, Hermione?"  
  
Hermione looked too abashed to speak but when she finally gained composure, she quickly yanked her arm away and pinned Draco with a scathing look.  
  
"I don't know what you were thinking, Malfoy. I'm leaving-this instant." With that, she gathered herself up hastily and turned for the door.  
  
"Good night, Hermione." Draco called in a highly amused tone.  
  
"Fine."  
  
He heard her say before she slammed the door of the room shut. He smiled heartily to himself. For one thing, that was what made Hermione so unlike any of the girls he dated. If he had done a similar pass to Pansy, she would have blushed and giggled uncontrollably. But as for Hermione, Draco didn't think she was a bit amused in any way-if she was anything, she was furious. And with that thought, Draco regretted having done such a thing. He'd have to make up for it as soon as he gets his ass out of the crummy place. But as for now, he contented himself with the flaming look Hermione reserved for him after the kiss. And when he finally had nothing else to do, Draco drifted in a light sleep, carrying the vision of Hermione with him. 


	12. Arrangements for the Nastily Exhausting ...

A/N: Okay, now I'm running a low fever but don't worry, I'm still typing! That's why I feel a bit hurt that the reviews are still not coming in as I'd expected. I am starting to doubt if this story is worth continuing (reader thinks to himself: The rantings of a disgruntled fanfiction writer, tsk,tsk..) But why can't you just review this?? Huh, huh? If you're reading it 'till now then why aren't you still dropping by to say 'hello' or whatever it is you tell disgruntled writers like me?? Huh, huh?? Jes kidding! Anyway, thanks a lot those who did reviewed, namely: firey fairy, Mage Of Fire, Frooty Tang, Geri*~, Rebecca, Vanillastar, Akuma Angel, Mirei Nochi-beautiful spirit, Victoria, Taralei, marina, MushedP0tat0es and Lil. I really appreciate it!!! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 12 - Arrangements for the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests  
  
  
  
After the Quidditch match incident, everything speeded forward. Many significant changes in Hogwarts took place. One of which is Fleur Delacour's arrival (much to Ron's delight) to take her place as substitute teacher for Care of Magical Creatures as Hagrid had just had himself attacked by his pet Griffin which according to him was lent by an anonymous friend (Harry, Ron and Hermione agrees that they'd heard that excuse). The Griffin, which Hagrid fondly calls Gimeree, was already the size of a small horse but with the head of an eagle and the body of a full grown lion when Professor Lupin found it. He had held his suspicions about Hagrid keeping a creature (a monster to be exact) in his hut when the latter kept coming late to his classes filled with scars and tears of surprisingly enormous sizes. And although Hagrid's cuts were already healed, Professor Dumbledore advised him to drop teaching for a while to get himself time to take care and humorously, play with Gimeree (He made Hagrid keep it for the meantime at the Forbidden Forest, provided that he won't let anyone get near it.) Hagrid gladly agreed to this remarking that he and Gimeree had developed some sort of strong parental bonding and promised that he'd get back to his post as soon as Gimeree is strong enough to wander back to his habitat alone. Personally, Hermione wished it would be soon because Fleur had been acting like a male magnet lately. Almost every boy she knew kept goggling at her like a hawk during their Care of Magical Creatures class. And the fact that Fleur refuses to wear the regular black school cloaks reserved for the Professors but kept strictly to her skin-hugging cloaks did not help either.  
  
"I hope it starts to snow soon." Hermione told Harry one cold afternoon while Fleur was busily engaging Professor Lupin in a chat.  
  
"Why is that?" Harry asked as the cat-like creature he was petting purred.  
  
"So she could start showing up in our classes all wrapped up, for a change."  
  
"Oh." was all Harry could say. He spotted Ron at the front row, still looking at Fleur with a dreamy gaze. He can't help but smile at him who was easily the most entranced student of Fleur.  
  
"I don't think they should let someone like her-I mean, a half and half like her teach our classes. It's really dangerous and not too smart a decision." Hermione was saying as Fleur finally entered the room. She was tugging a very hesitant-looking Lupin at her side.  
  
"C'mon Hermione, look at Lupin. He's a werewolf but he's the best Defense Against Dark Arts teacher there is. And besides, Fleur is quite good in dealing with magical creatures as her grandmother was a veela herself. You just don't like her because she's attracting too much attention." as Harry said this, a loud crash made them crane their necks.  
  
"Oops! S-Sorry P-Professor Fleur.the chair's a little old..." Ron muttered hastily, standing up from the heap of broken wood.  
  
"Oh. 'appens al ze time." Fleur reassured him (Hermione tutted loudly at this). Fleur raised her arms at them in a flimsy manner to get their attention.  
  
"Clazz, today we are taking up Kneazles and Proffezzor Lupin iz 'ere to 'elp us demonstrate ze unique abilities of zees adorable creatures." she told them beaming.  
  
"Oh, so these are Kneazles." Harry muttered, observing the creature at his lap. It looked so much like a cat with spotted fur and very large ears. But unlike a common cat, it has the tail of a lion.  
  
"Some of you might 'lready be familiar with zem as zey make exzellent wizard pets. Zey are usually independent and 'ould like to be left alone but eef a witch or wizard gains its trust, zey can be very loyal and dependable. But above all zis traits, a Kneazle iz best known for its uncanny ability to detect suspicious charactairs. So what do you think class, brilliant, aren't zey? (the class nodded politely.)  
  
Fleur smiled sweetly at Lupin who looked very uncomfortable.  
  
"Psst! Ron, over here." Harry called and Ron snapped out of his trance and turned hastily to sit beside Harry, looking confused and irritated.  
  
"What about, Harry? Fleur's discussing some really good stuff out there.." "Oh, I'm sure she is, Ron. Look at her grip at Lupin's robes, as if Lupin would pass out cold right after he touches that Kneazle!" Hermione pointed out.  
  
Observing the scene at the front, they realized that Hermione was quite right. While Lupin was taking out a very harmless-looking Kneazle from its cage, Fleur was clutching at his robes tightly cooing in a hushed voice 'Pleez be careful, Remus. It might get you!' all the time. It was a sickening sight. Hermione was glad that the snoozing Kneazle finally lifted its eyes to Lupin to survey him with a suspicious look, otherwise she would have died of boredom.  
  
"See Fleur, there's nothing too alarming about a Kneazle. Once it trusts you, it is quite harmless." Lupin said handing the Kneazle over to Fleur. But right after the Kneazle caught sight of Fleur, it started spitting out hysterically and flashed its sharp teeth at her.  
  
"I think it doesn't like moi very much, Remus." Fleur said uncertainly.  
  
"Oh, that's because you're a veela." Hermione suddenly said out loud.  
  
Everyone whirred around to stare at her shocked. She hadn't meant to burst it out like that but the sight of Fleur making flirty passes at Lupin, or at anyone for the matter, was very annoying. From the other side of the room, Draco Malfoy sniggered heartily. This was shortly followed by the other Slytherin kids.  
  
"Hermione!" Ron hissed at her, looking scandalized.  
  
"I meant half-veela, half-human. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything with that." Hermione started, looking curtly at Fleur who didn't look one bit ashamed. Hermione thought she looked somewhat-proud.  
  
"Oh, zat's okay. You're just voicing out your thoughts. An' don't worry, you're not ze first to guess correctly." Fleur said, now positively beaming. But before she could return to her teaching, Draco spoke,  
  
"But I can see that the Kneazles aren't all that keen in detecting filthy persons as it wasn't able to."  
  
"Spot that I'm a werewolf." Lupin finished for him. All heads tuned to him, including Harry's who was quite worried this snide remark would upset him. But he just shrugged at the sudden attention although Harry noticed that he was quite pale.  
  
"Okay, everyone try to get a Kneazle for yourself. But eef it bares iz teeth at you, stay away from it immediately, understood?" Fleur instructed plainly to them after a moment of silence. She then turned back again to Lupin and Hermione heard her ask,  
  
"Are you really?"  
  
"Yes. Sorry, I didn't warn you earlier. You might have noticed that I'm not too keen on it. But all the same, OI should have told you."  
  
"Oh, no, don't be sorry! I am just amazed that I met another one 'ere. You zee, we also 'ave a long line of werewolves somewhere in ze family and I find nothing quaint in them at all. Personally, I think you're one of ze more beautiful creatures...."  
  
Hermione glimpsed a flabbergasted look at Lupin's face. But before she could listen further to their conversation, Draco appeared at her side. He was clutching an over-excited Kneazle at his arms which kept licking his face when he wasn't holding it down well. Beyond him, Hermione could make out Crabbe and Goyle struggling to get away from a very ill-tempered Kneazle which was waving a threatening paw and claw at them.  
  
"Nice one, Hermione, I have always thought she was one of those beasts...." Draco told her.  
  
"I didn't do it on purpose, Draco." They were back on speaking terms again after Draco had solemnly promised not to do anything similar to the thing he did to her on the hospital wing again-ever.  
  
"Still-it was a brilliant remark." she heard him say when Harry suddenly popped out of nowhere. Hermione was starting to think that Harry was making it his business to interrupt any conversation she was having with Draco.  
  
"Err-Hermione, I think it likes you better..." Harry mumbled as the Kneazle he was holding suddenly leapt at Hermione. It purred comfortably at her arms and swished its lion tail lazily.  
  
"Oh." Hermione heard Draco utter behind her but when she turned around to see what he was 'oh-ing' about, a high-pitched scream answered her. The Kneazle that Draco was holding previously now had its sharp claws sunk in Fleur's lilac, silk robes. It was looking mad with desire to rip the cloth, and apparently Fleur's skin apart. Fleur tried to pull it away, but in vain. So she climbed on top of the table instead. Confusion started to stir when Lupin tried to tag Fleur down. The Kneazle was still clutching her cloak firmly, and her screaming wasn't doing any good.  
  
"Miss Fleur, would you please calm down and let me take it of you."  
  
"Aggh! Let gooo of moi!!!"  
  
Lupin reached out for the Kneazle at Fleur's cloak and started coaxing it mildly.  
  
"Shhh, girl, come here now. Yes, jump to me slowly now.good girl!" Lupin exclaimed as the Kneazle finally went to him and allowed him to be heaved back to its cage. The class was still applauding appreciatively when Fleur, her eyes brimming with tears, sprang at Lupin and hugged him around the neck. It was indeed, the most unfortunate time for the door to swing open and reveal a very sinister-looking Severus Snape. Fleur had just started raining Lupin with kisses on both cheeks.  
  
Snape's gaze lingered to the still semi-shocked class, to the hissing Kneazles at his feet, then finally to Professor Lupin who was still carrying a flustered Fleur Delacour in his arms. Lupin found his tongue first and, placing Fleur gently down, he spoke,  
  
"Severus, what a pleasant surprise."  
  
"What a pleasant surprise indeed." Snape replied, a nasty grin forming in his sallow face.  
  
"What can we do for you, Profezzor Snape?" Fleur asked curtly at Lupin's side.  
  
"The headmaster wants the students at the Great Hall in ten minutes. He has some important things to discuss-if we're not too busy, of course." Snape added coldly as the Slytherins found humor once more in the situation.  
  
"We are corning, Professor. Now, if you will excuse us, we have some cleaning to do." Lupin told him.  
  
"Whatever you say so, Remus." Snape finally said before leaving. Whether the scene was proceeded by another set of flirty passes by Fleur or not, they had not time to guess as they were all too eager to enter the Great Hall.  
  
"What could it be about this time?" Ron asked curiously.  
  
"Of course, it's about the N.E.W.T.s, silly. It's the fourth month, remember?" Hermione snapped.  
  
"Oh." Ron muttered, a dark look setting in his face. But before he could argue about it all over again, Professor Dumbledore's figure suddenly appeared from behind a secret door. He cleared his throat and screened the small crowd with a penetrating gaze. Then after the shuffling of feet died down, he started speaking,  
  
"I summoned you here this afternoon because of some important matters that are going to take place in the next couple of weeks. And since I prefer to let you know the bad news first before the good ones, without further ado, I give you these announcements: First, the N.E.W.T.exams are scheduled two days before the Christmas celebration. All seventh years are required to take it but alight some unfortunate circumstances regarding the Dark Lord's return, as we should all learn to accept, the exams are going to be a lot tougher than it has been traditionally (at this Dumbledore smirked a little and a few students laughed). And it will not be done the usual way either. Instead of parchments and practical exams, we are establishing an impartial selector much like the Goblet of Fire but of smarter and more independent nature. Those who will be chosen shall be announced on the Christmas feast. Therefore, everyone is invited to stay over for the holidays to bid their farewell to the students who will be leaving us for their own noble purpose in the League. That's all to it. You may all return to your classes and hope that something gets in your thick heads. The last few lessons you will be taking might just prove to be very crucial in the coming exams so listen well and eat ample amounts treacle tarts and cockroach clusters."  
  
With this, Professor Dumbledore slid away from the crowd of chattering students. But even after he was out of sight, everyone stayed rooted to their spots.  
  
"What kind of questions do you reckon the impartial selector will ask?" a curly-haired Hufflepuff girl asked.  
  
"Perhaps it will ask you to demonstrate how the three unforgivable curses are worked out."  
  
"No, it can't do that!"  
  
Ron turned to Hermione, the same sick look still plastered on his face.  
  
"So, we're all supposed to take it after all."  
  
Hermione nodded. Harry looked away. He thinks he has a clue on what Ron was feeling rat that moment. They were both positively sure that Hermione would pass the tests. And a sinking feeling inside told him that they would be losing a very good friend sooner than they'd expected.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Ron, I'd still write to both of you!" Hermione whimpered at them after figuring out their silence.  
  
"Hey, you still haven't passed the test, y'know. Let's just keep our fingers crossed." Ron told her forcing a smile.  
  
  
  
The night before the day of the exams, Draco and Hermione were still inside the hole doing some late work. Hermione had decided to continue studying with him even after the agreed three weeks. She figured that it would be less lonesome if she had company. And besides, Draco proved to be very good in spells himself and with his help, the two of them were able to take up loads of stuff they never knew before (including a handful of dark curses Draco looked up on).  
  
"Locomotor Mortis!" Draco said almost lazily.  
  
Hermione stood rooted to her spot with both legs joined tightly at her ankles.  
  
"Draco, stop doing that! You already mastered that hex since first year." she scolded, undoing the curse with a swish of her wand.  
  
"Well, excuse me, but you'd been walking to and fro for the last hour like some nut. You're getting on my nerves. Just calm down, will you?"  
  
"How can you say that when the exams are tomorrow and there's still so much to learn!" Hermione squeaked, panic glistening once more in her eyes.  
  
"Hermione, there isn't anything we could have possibly missed. Why won't you just give up and take some rest?"  
  
Hermione sat at the crafted chair facing Draco and sighed.  
  
"Ask me, Draco."  
  
"Not again, Granger."  
  
"C'mon, just ask me anything." she insisted.  
  
"Fine. What is a Lethifold and where can you find its mouth?" Draco asked acidly.  
  
"A Lethifold is a creature that looks like a cloak and devours sleeping wizards by enveloping them with its sheet-like body. And it has no mouth."  
  
"What else can you do when attacked by a Pogrebin besides the Stupefying charm and hexes?"  
  
"What? You said all the possible defense there is. I'm quite sure I didn't miss out any."  
  
"Sure you did, Granger. You just missed out kicking. It's also an effective means of defense." Draco reasoned out, his eyes alight with malice. "Finally, something you didn't get right. Are you happy now?"  
  
"Very funny, Malfoy."  
  
"It says so in this book, if you just read careful enough, Granger. And you're supposed to know everything." Draco taunted playfully at Hermione.  
  
Hermione just sighed heavily and crouched her legs up in the chair. She was dead tired and her mind was already so full of things, she just couldn't take in any more reading. So, she just sat there comfortably, waiting for her anxiety to drift away. Then, while staring at her ankle, she remembered something.  
  
"Umm.Draco?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where did you learn how to cure ankles?" Hermione asked as nonchalantly as possible. Draco narrowed his eyes at her. For a while, Hermione thought he wouldn't answer but he did anyway.  
  
"My father taught me how to cure bones during my fourth year. I told you before, that it came in handy, and it did. He knew that I would be using it an awful lot."  
  
"To whom did you have to use it?"  
  
"On me." Came Draco's answer.  
  
Hermione darted her gaze at him and felt greatly sorry for having asked the question. She noticed however, that Draco was looking quite as pleasant as before, if not, he looked more relaxed.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Hermione was saying but when Draco stopped her,  
  
"It's okay." He was peering at Hermione as if waiting for her to spill out the rest of her questions. Hesitantly, Hermione started again,  
  
"Why do you get broken bones?"  
  
This time, Hermione was afraid she pushed Draco too far so she decided to drop the question.  
  
"You don't have to answer that." she quickly took back. She was surprised to hear Draco laugh, thought it was a hollow, steely laugh.  
  
"Really, Granger, it's so obvious that you were dying to know. Don't worry, I think I can trust you with the Malfoy family secrets anyway."  
  
Draco paused for a moment, and stared at Hermione. He didn't know why he wanted to tell her about it and he perfectly knew that he shouldn't. But she was Hermione and he had always considered her quite apart from anybody else, or so he thought. Deep down Draco knew that he just needed to let her know him-entirely and not through a looking glass.  
  
"Hermione, I needed to master the healing charm for myself mostly so that I wouldn't find myself cowering helplessly at night after my short duels with Lucius." After he had mentioned Lucius's name, he saw Herrnione's eyes flash with concern.  
  
"Oh, he does it for me though. He says no great wizard woke up as they are. They faced pain and slept with it without complain. So pain is what he gives me. That's just how my father expresses his dreams for me." Draco finished bitterly. He had never thought about his encounters with his father as any sort of educational duel the way he had told Hermione. But he thought it would make him sound like an abused child if he told her that Lucius beats him out of sheer sadistic urges. Nor would it sound right if he had told her that he was simply hit because of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. After all, he was given everything he could possibly want. But in exchange for that, he had to endure his father's vicious temper and bid his will. Three months ago, he would have considered these tasks to be very simple. Just follow and don't ask-what could be easier than that? But after he'd realized that there was something nice and good he wanted for himself, but not something his father would want for him, he couldn't help but view his situation with bitterness.  
  
"Draco, you can learn without having to feel pain. You're very brilliant and quick. You shouldn't let him hurt you." Hermione said, disturbing his thoughts.  
  
Draco was astonished to hear such praise. It was definitely something his father had never given thought of. But Hermione had.  
  
"I think you're er-brilliant too, Hermione. That's why you shouldn't think anymore of the N.E.W.T.s. You're going to pass it. All you need is rest." he told her, changing the topic.  
  
"You think so?" Hermione asked, knitting her eyebrows. She didn't pursue the topic about Lucius anymore.  
  
"I know so. Let's just get the hell out of here and have some sleep. It's pretty late." he said, turning towards the hole.  
  
"By the way, Draco, thank you."  
  
"For what?" he asked, startled.  
  
Hermione looked at him warmly and elaborated,  
  
"For staying with me all the time. I couldn't have gotten through all this without your company. And also-for trusting me with your story."  
  
Draco couldn't believe Hermione was the one thanking him. He looked at her disbelieving but she just beamed at him in return. Then feeling his cheeks warm up with humiliation, he turned his back at her and murmured 'Fine'. But it was the most grateful 'fine' he had ever said to anyone.  
  
They sneaked out of the library for the last time and Draco fought the urge to walk Hermione back to her common room. He understood that after this, everything would return to normal. Their brief alliance has come to an end and the sooner he got used to it, the sooner he could move on.  
  
"Goodnight." Hermione muttered to Draco who already had his back at her. Draco didn't answer back. Hermione watched him disappear at the corridor to her left and couldn't help but feel giddy. Why had Draco suddenly turned the cold shoulder on? She thought she knew the answer to this but was too tired to ponder on it. So she slipped back towards the tower alone and focused her thoughts on looking forward for a good night's rest. 


	13. The New League Members

A/N: Whooo-hooo!!! Only a few more chapters left! Yay for me! I'm just so happy that this marathon typing is almost over because I'm starting school next week so..too busy. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it too. And yep, you know where this talk is leading.PLEASE REVIEW!!! Just tell me anything about you, your opinions- whatever! I just need to know you people are reading this and all my efforts are paid off. I love you all reviewers especially Rebecca who reviewed more than once!!! And just for the fun of it, I'd like to tell you that I think Spike and Buffy rock and Rory of Gilmore Girls looks suave with Jess/Tristan-anyone but Dean! So long!  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 13-The New League Members  
  
  
  
The dreaded NEWTs came and passed. Harry thought it most amusing that the exams they all feared so much appeared to be such a simple task. All they had to do was wear the impartial selector which, to their astonishment, turned out to be the sorting hat, over their heads and listen to it murmuring busily while it screened their brains. Harry wondered why no one had thought of it before. Of course, the Sorting Hat was very smart in its own right and it could easily see through one's thoughts. All they had to do was put some of Professor Dumbledore's brains in it and request it to look into what they've learned that year aside from their qualities. The idea was purely brilliant and logical.  
  
"Hermione, stop that gibberish right now! You're driving me nuts!" Ron complained at his side. The three of them were relaxing that afternoon by the river bank, burning their time watching the Giant Squid splash water lazily at the passersby.  
  
Harry turned to see what was eating Ron. Hermione was again crumpling her cloak in a sort of nervous fit.  
  
"You can't blame me, Ron. The Christmas feast is just a few hours away and I haven't got the faintest idea whether I qualified or not! It could have been easier for me to evaluate if the NEWTs were written tests. Then al I had to do is check the number of mistankes I made. But since the Sorting Hat said nothing but 'Oof!', I can just assume so little." Hermione finished in a struggle. And almost at once, she plunged into her nervous fit again.  
  
"That's because you knew too much. You must have knocked the Sorting Hat out of its wits!" Ron told her and both him and Harry erupted into fits of laughter.  
  
Hermione wrinkled her nose at them.  
  
"Not funny. But I see something that will surely knock you out, Ron."  
  
Harry and Ron turned to look where Hermione was pointing. At the opposite side of the river, they could see Lupin and Fleur walking hand in hand together(it was more like Fleur locking Lupin in great handshake to Harry). Lupin was plainly struggrling to pin his feet on the ground but Fleur was dragging him on, her sliver sheet of hair dancing behind her.  
  
"I think Lupin's really hit that one 'ard. 'Bin all over the poor guy since she came 'ere. I ain't be surprised if she asks 'im to marry 'er soon!"  
  
They whirred around to see Hagrid covered in his usual fur coat, bending ever to see what they were looking at.  
  
"Hagrid!" they all said at once.  
  
"We haven't seen you around for a long time." Harry told him, feeling sorry.  
  
"Oh, that's becoz I've bin hangin' aroun' the Forbidden Forest lately...Gimeree's all grown up!" Hagrid told them jovially, then changed tact at the speed of light.  
  
"But you lot don' nid to go tellin' Dumbledore that. I am thinkin' of keeping Gimeree a bit longer." Hagrid's voice trailed off as a big smile emerged from his beard.  
  
Ron looked simply jubilant.  
  
"Oh, no problem about that. You can keep him as long as like, Hagrid."  
  
But when Ron said this, Hermione suddenly stood up at their side and hastily stormed towards the castle without a word to them.  
  
"Is somethin' botherin' Hermione? What did you boys done this time?" Hagrid demanded, waving a threatening finger at Harry and Ron.  
  
"Nothing, Hagrid. She's just not too keen in having Fleur much longer." Harry answered.  
  
"Oh, that. Well, tell her she will have to put up with that veela-gurl for just one last night 'coz Dumbledore will send 'er off to the League in no time! That's for sure." Hagrid told them cheerfully before he set off to the Forbidden Forest again. But to Harry and Ron, who turned on the sulky faces again, they could have done a lot better without Hagrid reminding them that.  
  
  
  
That night, the Christmas feast looked more impressive than before. There were ice statues of magnificent sizes (Harry was guessing it was Fleur's idea) lining the Great Hall but the traditional Hogwarts Christmas trees stayed. The combination of the two elements worked out well in bringing out the Holiday cheer in everyone. If it weren't for the slight anxiety brought about by the announcement of the N.E.W.T. results, the night could have been Harry's most enjoyable yet.  
  
A hushed silence suddenly befell the throng of Hogwarts students when Professor Dumbledore appeared at the teacher's table, holding up his arms in midair. He smiled pleasantly at them and spoke in a jolly tone,  
  
"Merry Christmas to one and all! I hope you enjoyed Miss Delacour's ice statues (Ron winked at Harry) over there as our own Professor Flitwick and Professor MsGonagall almost broke their necks conjuring them (a lot of people laughed at this including merry old Flitwick who bobbed up and down his chair). I know that you are all expecting to know the results of your N E.W.T.s and that some of you are anticipating to be chosen. But once again, we are reminded that not everyone would be fortunate enough to get pass them. Indeed, I am suspecting that only a handful, if not few, would be able to find themselves newly found members of the League tonight. But if you're name does not come out tonight, it doesn't mean you didn't make it. We all have our own set of talents and yours might just be something other than protecting the lives of the innocent. So let us not be weary. After all, there is still a very large array of spots you could choose from. And all are equally honorable professions that would help yield your skills. But as for those of you who did pass the tests (Dumbledore's face lit up at this), we are very proud of you and we wish you a broken bone-less year ahead! So keep your fingers crossed everyone, because this is it."  
  
After Professor Dumbledore had said this, Professor McGonagall came around and set up the patched and frayed Sorting Hat at a black stool where everyone could see it. Everyone held their breath and set their eyes intently at the impartial selector. At first, the Sorting Hat just twitched and squeaked until finally, it opened its mouth to announce the first League member,  
  
"Hermione Granger!"  
  
An earsplitting cheer erupted from the three House tables especially from the Gryffinndor table, and quite a few scattered applause from the Slytherins. Hermione glanced up at Draco before walking up to shake hands with Professor Dumbledore. She was quite pleased to see that Draco joined in the applause, though in a strictly blank way.  
  
The applause died down again instantly as the Sorting Hat twitched again and shrieked,  
  
"Draco Malfoy!"  
  
The Great Hall rang once more of applause, though now mainly from the Slytherin table. The rest of the students looked slightly astonished but they clapped their hands politely anyway. Draco walked up to Dumbledore and Hermione stiffly. After shaking Dumbledore's hand, he quickly turned away to avoid Hermione's gaze. Then just before Professor McGonagall stood up to fetch the Sorting Hat, Harry saw Professor Lupin trying to hold a very indignant-looking Mr. Weasley. He nudged Ron hard in the ribs and asked,  
  
"What is Mr. Weasley doing here?"  
  
Ron looked just as confused as Harry.  
  
"I have no idea, Harry. I s'pose it's to welcome the new members."  
  
"But why is Lupin holding him back?"  
  
Ron just shook his red hair in amazement. But before Harry could think anymore of the oddness of the situation, the Sorting Hat started its wild twitching again. And as if someone turned the volume down, the rejoicing Hogwarts crowd abruptly became silent and some students pointed curiously at the Sorting Hat.  
  
Even Professor Mcgonagall stopped dead in her tracks and fixed the Hat with a look of utmost bewilderment. And then in a squeaky voice Harry recognized, it declared,  
  
"Harry Potter!"  
  
Every head in the hall darted towards Harry's direction. At first, everyone looked at him in a dazed sort of way, but after establishing the idea that his name was actually announced by the Sorting Hat, they all nodded appreciatively at him, except for some Slytherins who were still not willing to believe it.  
  
"H-Harry, you made it.." Ron's voice hardly audible, came.  
  
"I didn't review for it, Ron. You know I didn't!" he tried to reason out but all of a sudden, the voice of the Sorting Hat came back to him. Harry remembered it told him when he placed it on that there was definitely some heap of talent in him and lots of determination. He remembered it squeaking in an excited tone,  
  
"Boy, you really want to face the Dark Lord, don't you? And enough talent to do so, ooh yes. And enough guts too. You should really, it's your destiny.."  
  
But Harry never gave thought to this since he wasn't lying when he told Ron that he hadn't reviewed anything. And back to Ron-he had to convince him somehow that he didn't pass it on purpose. Harry turned his focus at Ron but the latter just shook his head and Harry was so relieved to see that he was smiling.  
  
"Of course you didn't, Harry. Just go out there. You deserve it." he said, tugging Harry up his seat.  
  
Harry trudged on numbly to where Professor Dumbledere was standing and shook his hand. And before he could dodge out safely, Hermione almost knocked the air out of him with a tight hug. She kept muttering 'didn't know you were studying too' and 'you should have told me' over and over again. At the corner of his eye, Harry thought he saw Draco eyeing them with intense loathing-or was it jealousy? Harry wasn't able to decide as the wild roar of the crowd filled his ears.  
  
"There boy, I knew you had it in you!" came Mr. Weasley's voice. Lupin had finally let him go but he was still trailing behind him.  
  
"For a moment, you didn't think so, Arthur." he muttered silently to the red-haired chief of the League Against The Dark Arts.  
  
Then it appeared to Harry plainly.  
  
"You were trying to get me in the League, Mr. Weasley." he told the excited wizard who was patting him furiously at the back.  
  
Mr. Weasley looked abashed by the statement but his grin returned to his face almost as sudden and he was swelling with pride once more.  
  
"Or so I tried..but I didn't have to do so, did I? The Sorting Hat decided for itself-you are now an official member of the League!" Then he turned to the two other qualifiers (smirking a little at Draco), "And so are the two of you. Congratulations, Ms. Granger and er-Mr. Malfoy." he said shaking their hands.  
  
"Now, now, Arthur, I assume you are done with the children?" Professor Dumbledore appeared beside him, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.  
  
"C-Certainly, Albus." Mr. Weasley answered brightly.  
  
"Well then, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter, as you are our only qualifiers for tonight, you have the honor to start the dance. If that is not too much hassle, of course." Harry swore he saw Dumbledore's eyes flick sideways at him.  
  
He turned to Hermione who smiled nervously. Harry's stomach did a sort of flip-flop after noticing how pretty Hermione was looking that night. She was wearing a pearly white robe that made her stand out of the brightly colored crowd. Her hair was held down in a single half-braid that tamed her othewise curly chestnut locks. Harry started musing how he ever missed this out when she was with him all the time.  
  
"You look really er-nice, Hermione." he blurted out Hermione just beamed back at him. Harry thought his heart skipped a beat but just as he was about to hold out his arm to her, he noticed Draco was pinning them with narrowed, gray eyes.  
  
"Umm..Hermione, I think you ought to dance with that first.."  
  
Hermione whirred around to glance at Draco who seemed to have dropped out of his daze. He quickly turned his back at them and strode towards Pansy Parkinson who was waiting for him to turn up at the corner of the Slytherin table. He turned to look at the pair with glinting mischievous eyes before bending down to give Pansy a very familiar pass (Draco kissed her bare forearm). Several Gryffindors including Parvati and Ron grimaced in disgust but Pansy's face however, glowed bright red. She was already in a fit of giggles by the time Draco edged her towards the dance floor.  
  
"Forget him, Hermione." Harry mumbled angrily at her side.  
  
Hermione merely shrugged and held out her arm to him. Harry took it, grinning. Hermione was thankful that the band struck a slow song as warm tears were threatening to slip out of the corner of her eyes. She leaned over to Harry and hid her face from him. She didn't want Harry to know that Draco bothered her. She was also immensely grateful that Harry preferred not to pursue the topic while they were dancing. He merely stirred her on through the dance and politely handed her over to Ron who was just too happy to have her. And before they knew it, the feast was over. If it was a blast, Hermione could only guess because she was alt too sore to think straight. And Harry, on the other hand, was too worried that Ron wouldn't be too happy to have the two of them leaving him-so soon. He thought that whatever caused the smug look on Ron's face at the moment was more or less in the lines of losing two of his best friends. So all three of them, in lowest of spirits, walked quietly back to the Gryffindor common room wearing long faces. Once inside and after everyone was done congratulating Harry and Hermione, the ugly business of saying goodbye to Ron started.  
  
"Umm, Ron? You will be okay, right? Without us, I mean." Hermione said quietly. The three of them had been sitting by the fire at their usual places, apparently dreading the next week when Harry and Hermione would be shipped out of the school to start working for the Ministry.  
  
"'Course I am. I still have Ginny, y'know. And I could also join Dean and Seamus anytime. There's nothing to worry about me. I'm cool. What really bothers me is what will become of the two of you.."  
  
At this, Harry grinned sheepishly at Ron.  
  
"You're worried about me too, Ron?"  
  
"This isn't funny, Harry. This time Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be there to watch over you and you are supposed to fight the Dark Lord himself. You could get killed anytime!" Ron bellowed, looking very pale and troubled.  
  
"Ron, we'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves and as long as we stick together, nothing bad can possibly happen to us. So, don't worry too much."  
  
"I promise I'll write to you everyday.." Hermione added hastily, but her voice was shaking slightly.  
  
"Well, I guess there's really nothing I could do about it, eh? Just take care you two and keep out of trouble.." Ron squeaked. Harry squinted to see if he was crying.  
  
"Hey, you're starting to sound like Mrs. Weasley, Ron." Harry told him and they burst into laughter one last time.  
  
Neither of them knew how right Ron was. 


	14. Back to the Malfoy Manor

A/N: Hiya guys!!! Still hangin' on with me? Good! I'm so happy others bothered to review 'coz I really appreciate, ahem, praise..joke! But I still think this story is still a bit short of reviews. I mean, it's soooo long and there's so many things that you people can tell me about. So I just don't get how 20 reviews can surmise it all. *sighs* If only you nice reviewers can tell me which chapter you liked or what you think of my plot then I'd be wearing a nice, wide grin right now! I welcome opinions and ideas. Damn, I'd even take criticisms! Anything! So, how about it, huh? Twenty more reviews or so?? Huh, huh?? I JUST LOVE REVIEWERS!!!  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 14 - Back to the Malfoy Manor  
  
  
  
Some time after the new League members were admitted to the Ministry, strange voices could be heard talking inside a vacated room.  
  
"I got the spot, Father."  
  
"Very well, son. And Potter?"  
  
"He got in with Granger."  
  
"The filthy Mudblood girl?"  
  
"Yes, her. We're having our first task on Monday, next week. I reckon it's about helping the others transport the Azkaban guards to some place.." Draco answered almost lazily.  
  
"Ah, of course. The Ministry finally discovered its gravest mistake and decided to remove the Dark Lord's pets from the control of his followers. Very wise move, I reckon its Arthur's idea." Lucius was saying when he was urgently cut in by Draco,  
  
"Father, what did you come here for?"  
  
"Ah, yes. I came here to tell you to prepare because we're taking the boy on your first task. The Dark Lord made sure nobody stirred enough commotion to ensure his capture of the boy. He wanted to kill the pest first before doing some serious action.." Lucius's voice trailed away.  
  
"You mean Potter?"  
  
"Of course I meant Potter! Who else would it be?" Lucius cried out, enraged at the dullness of his son.  
  
"Stop." Draco instructed suddenly. Lucius reluctantly followed his lead and the two of them listened carefully for any discrete sound.  
  
"Go, now!" Draco hissed after he had confirmed his suspicions. Footsteps followed his warning and Lucius apparated just before the door of the room swung open to reveal a very skeptic-looking Harry.  
  
"Who were you talking to, Malfoy?" Harry asked quietly although he seriously doubt getting an answer.  
  
"No one." Draco answered through gritted teeth.  
  
"That's funny because I clearly heard you."  
  
"Really now, Potter. Isn't it a little too immature to keep on uncovering a childish grudge especially now that we belong on the same League?"  
  
"Cut the crap, Malfoy. We all know you never wanted to work on the League in the first place and if it just weren't for Hermione, you wouldn't have made it too!"  
  
"Careful, scarhead, careful. I call that prejudice."  
  
"Zip it, Malfoy. You're just unbelievable. After everything Hermione did for you this is how you say thank? For the last time, who were you talking to, Malfoy?"  
  
"Potter, do you seriously think I would answer to that? Why don't you just return to your Mudblood pet? She might be having nightmares without you at her side." Draco cut in acidly.  
  
The look on Harry's face was very hard to read. He wasn't scowling or looking enraged. He was simply pinning Draco with an icy cold stare.  
  
"Now, would you believe it? I think you actually said the first thing that made sense. I think I'm doing just that...tut, tut. No use in wasting my time chatting with you. I think I have kept Hermione waiting for too long...See yah, git." Harry told him calmly though his blood was boiling. But before he got very far, he heard the sound of things crashing violently on the floor.  
  
"Stupid git! If I knew better, you couldn't take your slimy hands off her." Harry muttered, incensed. There was something definitely wrong with the way Draco had been acting lately. He must remember Hermione hears about him tonight. Harry smirked a little at the thought. He was almost completely sure that Hermione wouldn't believe him. Draco doing anything dirty is just beyond her comprehension.  
  
"You have to take my word for it this time, Hermione.." Harry muttered anxiously before disappearing in a swish of his cloak.  
  
Several days after that, the story of Draco plotting something evil against them at the dead of the night with an anonymous wizard quickly became a very good subject of argument for Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Not that story again, Harry. Please. I know you hate Draco, but isn't this a bit too much?"  
  
"But Hermione, this is not just a grudge! I heard him. He was talking to someone in the dead of the night. But when I entered the room, whoever it was already apparated!"  
  
"I believe you, Harry, but did you even know what they were talking about?"  
  
"No, but...." Harry stuttered when Draco appeared from his back.  
  
"But nevertheless you assumed that I was plotting something fishy like your death perhaps?"  
  
Harry glared at Draco who smiled slyly at Hermione.  
  
"Tell me you don't believe him, Hermione!" he barked angrily. Hermione looked a little afraid to open her mouth. But when she did, Harry regretted hearing what had to say.  
  
"But you see, Draco is also part of the League. Do you think he would be here if he wanted you harmed?" Harry swore Hermione struggled not to say 'dead'.  
  
"This is unbelievable.." Was all Harry managed to say as he was sizzling with anger. He had never imagined the day when Hermione would be pairing up with Draco for anything. But she did so for their N.E.W.T.s and now she's ditching him for some crappy excuse Malfoy made up. But before he could devise a way to rid of Malfoy for good, Mr. Weasley called out for them.  
  
"Hey, c'mon Harry, Hermione, and er-Draco. I'm giving out instructions for your first task." The chief gestured for them to join the small circle of the League members.  
  
Hermione and Draco hurriedly edged forward to listen. Hermione offered a space for Harry between her and Draco but Harry kept a good distance from them.  
  
"So, you have to make sure that every single dementor is shipped out of Azkaban safely. And mind you, don't get too near as you know the ill effects these creatures could have on anyone. I will try to reason t out with them but if any dementor refuses to board the vehicle, you will control them with your Patronus. There's enough of us to handle all of the Azkaban guards here but if any of you wanders astray on your own, I do not wish to know what could happen. So, is everything clear?"  
  
Everyone nodded. Harry thought he saw Draco's eyes flick to his direction.  
  
"I'm getting paranoid. Maybe Hermione's right. Maybe I just imagined the whole night encounter.." He thought dully but the feeling of foreboding wouldn't go away.  
  
"Hey, Harry, are you coming?" Hermione's voice zapped him back to the present. Harry darted his gaze at her saw her peering curiously at him. At her side was Draco, also gazing rather sharply at him. Harry shrugged the apprehension Draco's gaze sent him.  
  
The three of them started forward to join the operation. And when they got there, several League members were already circled several feet from a group of dementors stationed at the Azkaban gates. They watched Mr. Weasley stride towards the dementors, clutching tightly to his robes as if he it was dreadfully cold. Harry couldn't blame him since the dementors where the darkest creatures that roam the earth. They can make anyone who came near enough feel drained of happiness. But just as he thought of this, chilling cold crept up his spine. He glanced around to Hermione and Draco, who were standing some distance ahead of him. They didn't look like they were chilling. In fact, no one looked bothered at all by anything Everyone was looking at the on-going negotiations with keen interest.  
  
"But something is definitely wrong!" Harry thought alarmed. He was so sure it was cold-but it was a sunny day and the dementors were a good distance from them unless..Harry spun around just quick enough to glimpse of long, bony, skinless hands clamping his mouth.  
  
"Uff, Hermione!" He tried to scream but only a muffled sound came out. He tried to get hold of his wand but just as he did, he suddenly felt the intense cold the dementor's grip was causing him. It was burning with pain where the dementor was touching him. And after only a few, short seconds, it became colder-much, much colder.  
  
"There must be more than three dementors around me now." Harry decided helplessly. He saw Hermione's back edge farther away before his vision finally blacked out and the familiar cries of Lily Potter came.  
  
"Harry Potter-the boy who lived-no more. Finally we have you in our hands.The Dark Lord will be pleased. Let us not keep him waiting, shall we?" Then turning to the two bulk-bodied wizards at his side, he instructed placidly,  
  
"Don't dare harm the boy more than necessary. I want him alive."  
  
"Mr. Malfoy!" a sharp voice interrupted them. Lucius turned to see Hermione pointing a steady wand at his heart.  
  
"Let Harry go, now! I am warning you, we are all gathered here. There is no way you could get away with this." Hermione said sternly, coming out of the clearing. She had suspected something was very wrong when she noticed that Harry was gone. And since everyone was too involved to hear her out, she hurriedly went after the thicket alone.  
  
"Crucio!" Lucius called out to Hermione who had her wand out in warning.  
  
An earsplitting scream filled the air and Hermione dropped to the ground writhing with pain. At a distance, hurried footsteps could be heard.  
  
"Silly girl, I knew you'd come for your friend. Very well, take the Mudblood too." Lucius ordered.  
  
"But sire, how about the dementors?" Crabbe asked dully.  
  
"Leave them here, you imbecile! They have served their purpose." Lucius hissed and before the League could even get close to them, the three of them apparated.  
  
"Harry! Hermione!" Mr. Weasley called out, arriving at the thicket when something made him freeze at his spot. The League members scrambled behind him to look at what caused the hold-up. Among them was Draco who instinctively followed Arthur's gaze. Lying on the ground was Hermione's wand. Then without warning, Mr. Weasley dropped to his knees, clutching numbly at his cloak.  
  
"This is all my fault-my foolishness! Setting the children as bait then not being able to keep close watch. What have I done?" he muttered repeatedly to himself, an expression of deep grief printed darkly on his face.  
  
Draco concentrated on focusing his stare at his shoes while a co-member picked Hermione's wand to secure. He knew all this was going to happen, his father told him about it. But he skipped out some of the finer points...  
  
"Hermione." He muttered to himself, clenching his fists. "Where could he have taken her?" Draco wracked his brain for the answer but all he could think of was Hermione-Hermione at the Christmas feast, Hermione in the hospital wing, Hermione in the chamber...the chamber! That thought suddenly reminded him of the clover emblem he used to open the secret nook with. He knew he had seen that somewhere before, but couldn't remember.  
  
"Where did I see that symbol before?" he thought. He knew it was stupid to be thinking of it now but the bad feeling about the clover emblem stayed with him several hours after the incident. Their first task was dismissed due to the abduction and they were sent back to the quarters immediately. But all the time, Draco was shunt from the prospect of going after Hermione and letting the scene slip out of his mind like it didn't matter. But this was useless as he painfully realized that he couldn't let anything bad happen to her.  
  
"That clover....why is it stuck in my head?"  
  
Draco shut his eyes and thought hard. At first, scattered memories of his childhood returned to him. But they didn't make any connection at all to the present situation so, he whisked them away. Then slowly, like a hazy dream, he saw himself walking inside a large room with gray, brick walls everywhere. There was a faint light at the end of the tunnel-like hall. He saw himself edge towards it until a dark shadow came into view.  
  
"Draco, why have you come here? I told you not to set foot in this part of the house."  
  
"But father, what are those scraped symbols?"  
  
"They are the emblems of every family that ever stood in our way. Soon, they too will take their places in those cells. But that doesn't concern you at all, am I right Draco? You're just straying me.Oh, but I do not forget that you disobeyed me, son. Tut, tut.I think this will make you remember." Draco recalled Lucius saying before a blinding flash of green light shot out of his wand.  
  
"Aaagh! Please stop father! Aaagh! I won't do it again, I swear!" the three years younger Draco Malfoy shrieked, dropping to the ground clutching his bloodshot ankle. He was still panting when Lucius raised his wand again.  
  
"Oh, and I think I have to do this too.Obliviate!"  
  
Draco snapped out of the horrid vision. He sat up tensely in his chair, cold sweat running down his forehead. Now he remembered, it was in the dungeon. He found the clover in the dungeon three years ago. It was scraped on one of the walls of what looked like a small cell for slaves. Then patching it all together, he realized with surging dread why his father had taken Hermione.  
  
"You can't do this, father!" he raged. And in a flick of the eye, he was gone.  
  
Miles away, lying on the freezing dungeon floor of one the cells of a large manor, Hermione was jolted awake by the conversation of two people. The sudden stab of pain in her joints reminded her of the incident earlier that brought her to the god-forsaken place. Then shifting slightly to a better angle, Hermione tried to make out some of the words.  
  
"Are you sure, Master Draco? You see, we do not wish to disobey any of your father's rules.."  
  
"But didn't he tell you that you are to follow my orders too?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Well then, from now on you would be taking my commands as if they were my father's. And right now, I demand that you release the Mudblood!" Draco scornfully replied.  
  
"But Master Draco.."  
  
"Look, I have my father's permission to take the Mudblood to practice my dark spells on. But of course, if I can't have her then I would have to content myself with you."  
  
"I didn't mean that, Master Draco. You may go along then if that's what you were sent for. Forgive me for holding you off."  
  
Hermione clutched at the bars of her cell apprehensively. Draco found out where she was and he was going to help her....  
  
"Draco!" she blurted out when he appeared at her cell. He merely narrowed his eyes at her as if to say "You shouldn't look too happy to see me, Hermione". She nodded numbly and watched him open the heavy gate with a tug. He snatched her wrists firmly and dragged her roughly out of the keeper's sight. But once they were a safe distance from the dungeon, Draco loosened his grip slightly but still continued on leading her through the manor. There was something eerie in the way he skirted through every dark corner of the place with such definite familiarity.  
  
"Draco, how come you know this place so well?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Listen Draco, Harry was taken by the Death Eaters and I hate to say this but, your father was with them. I don't know how long I passed out but I think there's still time to rescue Harry."  
  
Still no answer.  
  
"Draco, where are we going? Didn't you hear me? We need to rescue Harry before it's too late!"  
  
At this, Draco stopped his pacing and looked Hermione in the eyes. There was urgency in his actions.  
  
"Hermione, this place is my home-this is the Malfoy Manor. I knew you were taken here so I came but we haven't got time. My father-Lucius will be arriving from his errand any moment and if I don't get you out of here, you'd be dead."  
  
Hermione stared disbelieving at him. Then her brown iris contracted until they were two very small dots. When she spoke, it was in a low drawling tone,  
  
"You knew this was all going to happen! Harry had been right about you. You are the Dark side's spy and now you've finally done Harry in. I can't believe it, Draco-of all the people!" Hot tears gushed down her cheeks and Draco could see that she was shaking with indefinable anger. But instead of attacking him as he'd expected, she turned on her heel and headed back towards the dungeon. Draco caught her wrist in time.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"I'm going back to save Harry. And keep your hands off me, you filth!"  
  
Draco was struck by the hateful manner she had addressed him.  
  
"You're saving Harry? With what-your bare hands? You don't even have a wand, for crying out loud! Let's just get out of here and save yourself. Harry's already done with. There's nothing you could do about it!"  
  
"Done with, huh? Oh, but no thanks, Malfoy. I think I'll just get back there and get done with than run away with you. At least I'd die with my chin up.not something Death Eaters liike you are likely to understand." And with that, she fled, her brown hair flying wildly behind her.  
  
For a while, Draco just stood there confused. He tried his best to turn and leave the place but his feet were disobeying him. Then, realizing that there wasn't much to decide anyway, he followed Hermione's lead in haste. But when he arrived at the dungeon, he found Goyle already lying unconscious on the stairway.  
  
Obviously, Hermione had been successful in knocking out the troll. He was still musing how she ever did it when the sound of scraping metal led him to the darkest cell of the dungeon. He caught sight of Hermione trying vainly to pry the hard bolt of Harry's gate open but she stopped abruptly when Harry pointed Draco to her.  
  
"A wand, Granger, a wand. That's what you need to open that bolt. Yanking does not help." He edged near her and aimed his wand at the lock. As soon as he muttered the incantation his father revealed to him, the bolt swung open. And as soon as Harry walked out of it, Hermione met her with a hug. Draco waited impatiently 'till they pulled away.  
  
"Potter, I think you'll need this."  
  
Harry caught the thing swiftly in his hand. "My wand."  
  
"You have to get her out of this place, now. My father will arrive soon." But as he said this, Lucius apparated from behind him.  
  
"My son..." He started but when he saw Harry out of his cell with Hermione at his side, he turned sharply to Draco, his evil stare demanding. In a split second, Draco shoved Harry forward and roared,  
  
"Go, now!!!"  
  
"NO!" Lucius had his wand raised when Draco's spell hit him first.  
  
"Expelliarmus!"  
  
And at once, Lucius' wand flew out of his grip and landed safely in Draco's outstretched hand. He whirred to face his son, a dark look overshadowing his face.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that, boy. Now Potter's escaped." Then he added in a deadly tone, "Did you really believe you could overcome me-Lucius, your father?"  
  
Draco just stood his guard-a steady wand pointing directly over Lucius's heart. Lucius started striding towards him, his gaze still locked on Draco.  
  
"Are you planning to kill me with a spell, Draco? A new spell, perhaps? Not one of those I carefully thought you, but one of those obtrusive spells you were trained to perform at the League?"  
  
Draco still looked unmoved.  
  
Lucius continued his pace until he could nearly touch Draco's pointed wand.  
  
"I understand why you're doing this, son. That League has made you soft. But after all the trouble you have caused me tonight, I am still willing to make you a fully-pledged, honorable Death Eater. And you really should be thankful now, because if you weren't my own blood, this mess would have meant death." At this, Lucius made a grab at the outstretched wand. But Draco was quicker.  
  
"Locomotor Mortis!"  
  
Thud.  
  
Lucius' ankles locked and he fell on the ground, face first. Thin, snake- like ropes bounded him tightly that it was impossible to move. Lucius struggled against the ropes for some time, but in vain. Then after licking blood that gushed out of his ripped upper lip, he lifted his head up to look Draco in the eye.  
  
"After all I did to you, this is how you repay me?"  
  
This time, Draco had a ready reply.  
  
"Father, you never regarded me as your son I was merely a tool to advance your evil motives. You never really paid any attention to me or to mother."  
  
"But I gave you everything!"  
  
"Oh, but that is because we are your front. You need to dress us up properly so that we may pass as a happy wizarding family. But in truth, all you really gave us is pain."  
  
"Don't kill me, son.I am your father." Lucius pleaded.  
  
"I won't. You did hurt me but it's not enough reason to kill anyone, is it?" Draco told him in an undertone.  
  
Lucius's lips curled into a sickening smile. "I knew you couldn't, Draco. You're just too yellow to handle it. Now get me up-now or you'll regret the day your mother bore you!"  
  
But Draco didn't stir.  
  
"I don't think so. There's not enough reason for me to hurt you mortally but you owe a lot of people the lives of their loved ones. A time in Azkaban is quite gracious enough, don't you agree?"  
  
Lucius's face contorted in a very ugly manner. It reflected emotions of mixed madness and fright.  
  
"You wouldn't dare!" he roared, his steely gray eyes dilated in a manner an insane man's would.  
  
Draco strode forward to face him, deep sadness reflected in his sallow features.  
  
"You shouldn't have forced me in the League, father. It taught me something apart from spells and curses-it taught me to draw the line from what is right and what is evil. Such basic concepts, really, but funny I never learned them from you."  
  
Lucius looked too horrified to speak.  
  
"And I think I must do this too..Obliviate!" 


	15. The Beginning

A/N: This, my friends, is the end. *sniffs* It came sooner than I'd originally planned since I am already starting school tomorrow. But I had so much fun doing this and I hope it goes the same for all of you out there. I love your reviews and would still love to get more! Also, I prepared a tricky song for you guys to figure out at the end. Who is the song for, huh? Huh, huh?? Take a good guess and tell me!!! Thanks for reading!!!  
  
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 15 -The Beginning  
  
  
  
After Draco's handing over of Lucius, the League was able to find out all about the Dark Lord's whereabouts and of his fellow Death Eaters. The Veritaserum (the truth charm) made sure of it. And after the confession, they did not waste time bickering on who would take on the Dark Lord. Everyone stuck up together and decided for themselves that if they wanted the terrible murders to stop, they had to be united. And so they all went, Dumbledore's Defense Against the Dark Arts League, Fudge's own defense team, the Giants (led by Hagrid and ahem, Madame Maxime), the professors of the three Wizarding schools, and of course, Harry, Hermione and Draco.  
  
Harry could still recall the frightful duel that the Dark Lord and Professor Dumbledore engaged in. The latter, although quite old, was not by any means worn-out. Harry thought he was as powerful as he was years or so ago. And Voldemort, possessing a mere half-life, had a dose of his own medicine and expired fleetingly on his own. The Death Eaters were all caught and thrown in Azkaban where a handful of highly skilled and trained wizards guarded them day and night. The Memory Charm was hardly of any use to them since they had lost all strands of hope of the Dark side's return to power. With Voldemort's final death, it was as if the first eight dark months, never happened at all. Everything went back to normal in the Ministry and in Hogwarts except for one minor detail: a Welcome Back Ball was held in the end of the year instead of the traditional Parting Ball. It was Professor McGonagal's idea to honor the League members who greatly contributed to the Dark Lord's Fall. And so far, the evening was going along well for Harry who was just too happy to be back.  
  
"Hey, Harry,what's with the glazed look?" Ron asked, waving a hand in his face. Harry grinned at him broadly and started in a serious tone,  
  
"I was just thinking if you would care to dance with me 'cause I missed you an awful lot.." He faked a teary expression.  
  
"You prat! I see the League wasn't able to stuff much sense in you. Honestly, Harry, you're h-o-p-e-1-e-s-s!" Ron mocked and they all burst into laughter-just like the old times.  
  
"How about you then, Ms. Granger? Care to dance with me?" Harry asked after they had settled down. Hermione looked pleased.  
  
"Well, all right. But not if Ron doesn't dance with me next..." she added, beaming slightly at Ron.  
  
Ron faked a horrified look.  
  
"What? Me dancing with a Buck-toothed er-girl like you? You're dreaming!"  
  
"Still not in your Priority Friends List, Ron?" Hermione inquired jokingly. But she could see that Ron took it rather hard.  
  
"I am really sorry about that, Hermione. It was stupid of me to think that I would rather be with those stuck-ups than with the two top ass-kicking wizards of the League." Ron was still saying when Hermione cut him looking enraged,  
  
"So you did have that list! I thought you were only kidding!" Hermione was now standing with both hands on the table. People peered curiously at them.  
  
"I said I'm sorry." Ron told her in a meek voice.  
  
"Oh, never mind! I guess we should all leave it to the past." Hermione told him after some hard thinking. Harry nudged at her side to remind her of their dance. She followed him to the dance floor happily. They were having so much fun that they didn't notice that they had already danced two songs in a row. And if Ron hadn't barged on Harry in time, they would have danced their third. After muttering 'sorry' to Ron, Harry took his place at their table and watched.  
  
"I really missed the both of you a lot Hermione..." Ron told her just before the dance ended.  
  
"I know, Ron. That's why I'm just too happy to be back." Hermione replied. But before she could notice where Ron was steering her, he started speaking again,  
  
"Umm, Hermione. I wish I could dance with you longer but I think someone should have a chance with you first."  
  
"What?" Hermione asked lost when Ron took her by the shoulders and spun her around.  
  
Hermione stared in shock. Standing right in front of her with one hand held out was Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Hermione, please dance with me." He told her shyly. She could see that it was difficult for him to look her in the eye. But when he did, Hermione saw that the pale gray eyes Draco wore before were glinting very blue tonight. And noticing that he still has his hand out, Hermione reluctantly took it.  
  
Draco led her to the center of the floor. By now, all eyes were on them, most wide with shock and the rest, greatly amused.  
  
  
  
*You give your hand to me  
  
And then you say hello*  
  
  
  
The song was a familiar Muggle song and Hermione found out in time that she was quite stiff from all the attention boring on them. But when Draco stirred her to the song, she forgot about everyone.  
  
  
  
*And I can hardly speak  
  
My heart is beating so*  
  
  
  
"Hermione, are you still mad at me?"  
  
"Nm."  
  
"I take that as a yes."  
  
  
  
*And anyone can tell  
  
You think you know me well But you don't know me*  
  
  
  
"No, I'm not mad, Draco." she told him hastily. Draco stared at her surprised. Then she added, "Actually, to take in account that you almost betrayed us, it is pretty amusing that I'm not a bit mad at you, don't you think?" Draco just smiled at her looking amused.  
  
  
  
*No you don't know the one  
  
Who dreams of you at night*  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"  
  
"I believe you had."  
  
"When you're mad?"  
  
  
  
*And longs to kiss your lips  
  
Longs to hold you tight*  
  
  
  
"No, actually. But the last time you did, you also said I was a Muggle."  
  
"Oh, then Muggles must be really enchanting. I think I should keep my eyes on them, don't you reckon?" Draco told her playfully. Hermione could guess where this was leading.  
  
  
  
*Oh, I am just a friend  
  
That's all I've ever been  
  
Cause you don't know me*  
  
  
  
"But Draco Malfoy, you hate Muggles!"  
  
"Before, Granger, before. And all except one."  
  
At this, Hermione felt her cheeks burn. She didn't want to make her reconciliation with Draco an easy one but her emotions were being very hard to subdue. And without thinking, she blurted out,  
  
  
  
*I never knew the art of making love  
  
Now my heart aches with love for you*  
  
  
  
"I try not to look at people through a looking glass anymore..."  
  
It was plain to see that Draco was caught off guard-for a while, his grayish-blue eyes flickered with uncertainty.  
  
  
  
*Afraid and shy I let my chance go by  
  
The chance that you might love me too*  
  
  
  
"But I'm still trying to know you." Hermione whispered, slipping her arms around Draco's neck. She darted her gaze at Draco who looked deeply moved.  
  
  
  
*You give your hand to me  
  
And then you say goodbye*  
  
  
  
"And I'm still trying to know how to love you. But don't shriek now, I don't think they'll like that very much."  
  
Hermione darted her gaze at Draco who was now fuddling with her hair. She then let her eyes wander at the stunned crowd of Gryffindors and smiled,  
  
"I promise I won't if you won't take that back like you did before." she snapped shrewdly at Draco who just smiled.  
  
*I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy*  
  
The crowd around them murmured excitedly. Some were even clapping. Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, Snape was looking ghostly white, and Mcgonagall was crying. Only one person had a different expression on his face-Harry who was staring quietly at the pair.  
  
  
  
*Oh you will never know  
  
The one who loves you so  
  
Well you don't know me*  
  
  
  
The crowd's attention was only turned away from the two when Fleur Delacour ushered Professor Lupin to the dance floor. The two were now officially engaged (the story says that Fleur offered to take Snape's Wolfsbane potion to Remus herself one night. The latter was just too surprised to gag on something solid in the drink. The thing turned out to be Fleur's golden ring. And whether Lupin indeed learned to like Fleur or was just too ashamed to turn down such a gracious offer, no one knew.) As for Draco and Hermione, the song had just ended but their story was just being spun. 


	16. Regards To Reviewers

A/N:  
  
  
  
Okay, since something seriously went wrong with the first version of this fic, the reviews were obviously not posted on this one. But no worries!!! I got them all saved and so I am dedicating this chapter to all those who reviewed!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks a lot guys! You made all the effort worthwhile! And as for those who haven't reviewed, I'm wai-ting.. *winks at you*  
  
  
  
  
  
Anything at all will do, but basically just answer this question: which chapter did you like best? Just a little something to help me with my style. That's it. Thanks again for reading this!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
|Reviewer |Date |Chapter |Type | Lorraine |2002-12-19 |15 |Signed |  
  
Hi! just finished reading your story, Through A Looking Glass and it's really good! There is only one problem, I think that Fleur and Remus' engagment was a little fast. (it was probably a minor part of| |the story though) Other then that is a really great fic!  
  
  
  
|Dinglefritz | Gaia (GlitterGurlG3980@aol.com) |2002-12-15 |6 |Anonymous|  
  
hi, evry1 hus cn me b4, its the same old Gaia but my emails fine now. Great story! love *G*  
  
|silverbunnies |2002-12-11 |16 |Anonymous| |(silverangel015@yahoo.com) |  
  
OMg!!! I loved it.. but hmph.. NO KISSING ScEEN??? Man I was waiting for it the whole time.. No mush. But I did like how you included harry and ron! Other Stories didn't, just H/D. Well You better write a sequel! I wanna know what Harry does about it.. because I know that song was meant for Harry... awww. If you can, can you email me if you ever write a sequel?  
  
  
  
|Demented Fairy |2002-12-08 |17 |Signed |  
  
ok, that was so very odd. all it left on my previous review was *weeps openingly* which was not all i put, so i'll just continue it here. what i originally had written: ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it's pretty close to the truth. wow, i must say, I ended up liking this fic more than i thought i would. i read most of it last night and just now finished it this morning and i actually became really attached to this story in just that short period of time. that's why i was so sad when it ended. really, i was. and it ended so adrubtly too (it seems like)...i was a little disappointed. oh well. i really liked the story however and that's all that really matters, right? keep up the excellent work and i'll be sure to recommend you to a couple of my friends. talley-ho!  
  
  
  
|Demented Fairy |2002-12-08 |15 |Signed |  
  
*weeps openingly*  
  
  
  
|StarpearL |2002-12-07 |1 |Signed |  
  
This is really a great story! Draco and Hermione Forever! I know you are already done with this story, but oh well, I really felt the urge to review when I read it. It's real good! ^_^  
  
Lilith Onaitsirc |2002-12-02 |15 |Signed |  
  
This is the single greatest harry potter fic ever! It is so unlike the other ones that I have read! *wipes away tear and soo sweet! i always thought that her and Draco would get together... we'll just have to wait and see if Rowling agrees... GREAT STORY!!  
  
|2002-11-24 |1 |Anonymous|  
  
Excellent, v.cool...BK=v  
  
|2002-11-11 |1 |Anonymous|  
  
|Hey, this story was awsome, I just finished it and wanted to tell you that it rocks!!! Seriously, you have great writing style and great plot, you are really close to the real HP. Thanks so much for writing this!  
  
  
  
|stoneorchids |2002-11-04 |1 |Signed |  
  
awesome story!!....i love it!! oh and thanks so much for the review of my poem "hate"...it really helped, thanks for going through the | |trouble of typing it, for me.  
  
  
  
|Reviewer | |Date | Chapter | Type | Bisquik (kt8806@aol.com) | 2002-09-09 | 15 | |Anonymous |  
  
I like this story a lot! Good work, write more!  
  
  
  
|LilyPotter | |2002-09-06 | 15 | |Signed |  
  
I love the story it was great i just wanna say OOH ME ME ME I KNO WHO THE SONGS FOR CALL ON ME!!!! lol as song it said i watched u walk away wit the lucky guy i knew! it was for harry go harry go harry! aw i still love u even if she doesnt lol  
  
  
  
|cyropi | 2002-09-06 |15 | Signed |  
  
I think its a shame - there are some really good fics with no readers. *crosses fingers and hopes that doesnt happen to her* I really loved the ending, it was really sweet. The song's obvious - it's Harry thinking about Hermione rite? I really love this story!  
  
  
  
|Geri*~ (shineygurl@hotmail.com) | 2002-09-05 |15 | Anonymous |  
  
Awesum Fic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is dis da end??????? Oh dis is soooooooo sad!!!!!!! *wipes tears of her face* Is da song 4 Harry?????? U can sorta tell he likes Hermione by da way he aasked her 2 dance nd the way he was admiring how she looked b4 in sum oder chappie. Its sooooooooo sad 4 Harry. I feel sooooo sorry 4 him!!!!!!!!!! Ohh.. well i guess life ain't always fair actually i dont tink life is eva fair. Well, @least Draco nd 'Mione r 2geder.... i gues dis deserves a big massive AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW but i still feel 2 sorry 4 Harry. NE ways dis was n awesum fic!!!!!! wish ya all da best wid all ur life!!!!! and oder new fics!!!!  
  
Love ya lots Geri*~  
  
  
  
|Mage Of Fire | 2002-09-05 | 15 | Signed |  
  
Awesome! It's sooooo cute! Harry's in love with Hermione right? O btw this is going on my faves list.  
  
  
  
|cyropi | 2002-09-05 | 12 | Signed |  
  
Sorry I haven't reviewed before - I only just found your fic. I think it's really good - don't give up! This has a lot of potential and I'd hate to see it wasted!  
  
  
  
|Geri*~ (shineygurl@hotmail.com) |2002-09-05 |13 | Anonymous |  
  
Hey EiDa! Awesum chappies these last few 1's not dat da odeer 1's b4 dese werent but dese were pretty kool!!!! Plizzzzzzz update soon. Cant wait till next chap!!! Wats gonna happen now wid Draco nd Hermione???? Is Harry starting 2 like 'Mione??? It would b sad 4 either Draco or Harry which eva 1 doesnt get Hermione. At last Rons not a arrogant prick ne more, I was starting 2 really h8 him. Neways update ASAP!!!!!!  
  
Love ya Geri*~  
  
  
  
|Arafel | 2002-09-04 | 12 | Signed |  
  
Love it. Love it to pieces.  
  
  
  
|Happy little Rin-chan 2002-09-04 | 13 | Signed |  
  
Hope Hermione dances with Draco:)  
  
  
  
KAOS | 2002-09-04 | 12 | Signed |  
  
*gasps in awe* WOOOOOOOOOOOW! This is very very good! Bloody brilliant is another word i'd use. And adorable!! Awwwwwww! I like this fic! A lot! In fact i'm gonna add it to my fave list! It's well written, and the plot is decent too! It deserves more reviews than its got too! Aw man, its so sad! Soon as they have their NEWTS it might be all over! *panics* But.. But... !!! Hm!!! Please, update more!!! Soon!! PLEASE??! *begs*  
  
  
  
| firey fairy | 2002-09-04 | 11 | Signed |  
  
aw.... this is so sweet... plz keep posting, i really like this story and don't worry abt the length of the chapters, i really don't mind the long ones, i never want this to end, it's absolutely wonderful and i really mean it. especially the 11th chapter, this one is the best! i really love it!!! i nearly cried...aw....keep up the good work!  
  
  
  
|Mage Of Fire | 2002-09-03 | 10 | Signed |  
  
This is great! I'm so happy that every1 hates Ron cuz I hate him too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
|FrootyTang | 2002-09-03 |10 | Signed |  
  
Wow, all I can say is that I LOVE this story sooo much! Its just so amazing, incredible, I LOVE IT! Great story plot, I've read others with this same plot but most of the stories nowadays have 'omgs' and the excessive use of 'like'. PLEASE continute and I will read!  
  
|Rebecca | 2002-09-02 | 8 | Signed |  
  
Oh Beautiful chapter! I enjoyed every word! Please write more, you're doing a great job!  
  
  
  
|Vanillastar | 2002-09-02 | 8 | Signed |  
  
Hey, Love the story, update soon ok?  
  
  
  
|Rhency Anlise Forbes |2002-10-23 |7 |Signed |  
  
Hey. ^_^ I'm only up to Chapter 7 so far but I think the story is great. Umm...heh. I'm crappy at reviewing people's work. But keep it up! I love it. ^_^  
  
|KAOS |2002-10-06 |16 |Signed |  
  
You know, this has been on my fave list for AGES, but it didnt tell me you updated, so i like missed about 6 chapters! I was so mad at ff.n! Awww... well its finally finished! No fair! I want more!! PLEASE?! I'm glad you didnt have Draco kill his father.. most people do, but thats just not right.. that would just make him as evil as his father himself...! Aww.. still mad at ff.n for not telling me ya updated! Grr...! Well, this was a BRILLIANT fic, and im glad you wrote it! Love, Peace and Chicken Grease, goats breath, dog food, cat's whiskers, a pen lid and some glue, and bring to the boil for 25 minut--- er.. uh.. oops... carried away... *blinks*  
  
|Jenni | Indiviualists |2002-10-05 |16 |Signed |  
  
All I gots ta say ish that, in the words of that freaky gungan dude, Usa ish goin ona mahsa's lista! I'm board, so sue meh.... *has a short attention span* Ok, I love ya buh bai!  
  
  
  
|angstluvnazn |2002-10-05 |16 |Anonymous|  
  
oh my god that is a beautiful poem! sniff sniff! and it so fits my mood right now.  
  
  
  
|Naneth(7) |2002-09-10 |9 |Anonymous|  
  
Hi! It's fantastic! I love the story. It seems you like Draco ryt? It's good you look in the bright side. Anyway, I'd love to see more of your fanfics there.(I know there's more...) I also read your poem, they are deep. Going back, your idea about the dance, it's great! It's like every (main) character suddenly revolved around 1 girl, and all along, she was the one being mislooked and taken for granted...Anyway, I could go on and on... just keep it up! God Bless in your schooling!  
  
|Reviewer |Date |Chapter |Type | Rebecca |2002-0|7 |Signed |  
  
Great chapter! I liked the whole idea with the secret room. Great length too (I've been reading a lot of short chapters from other fics lately). Keep writing!  
  
  
  
|Akuma Angel (Curlytop011@aol.com) |2002-0|7 |Anonymous |  
  
It's Great!!! OK, now this is scary, like everyone are having Draco and Hermione going together.... *shivers* lol, jk. It be cool. YOU HAVE TO FINISH IT!!! Ok, so I'm addicted. THERE I said it, happy?? *long pause* uh.... ok, I'm done I think, ya well. FINISH IT OR ELSE! Don ask meh 'or else what' or I'll not answer, cuz I have no idea!!! lol. anyway.... I'm swear, I'm truely done now! Ok I love ya, buh bye! (still love dem tiny toons! Inside joke)  
  
  
  
|vict0ria (vivzofwales@yahoo.com) |2002-0|1 |Anonymous |  
  
HI! I haven't read the whole story yet but I have to say I'm impressed. (Just so you know, I only read it because you asked me too.. kidding :D) Good luck sa susunod mong chapter. Hehe. More Power.  
  
  
  
|Taraleia |2002-0|1 |Anonymous|8-22 |  
  
Hey EiDa! Your story's starting off really well, keep it up!  
  
  
  
|marina |2002-0|2 |Anonymous|8-21 |  
  
1st chapter looks interesting, I would like very much to read the 2nd one, but... Could you do something about it?  
  
|MushedP0tat0es |2002-0|1 |Signed | 8-21 |  
  
oh wow! thats REALLY good! can't wait for more!  
  
  
  
|Lil |2002-0|1 |Signed |8-21 |  
  
Great story!! Gosh--well-written!! This must be my lucky day!! So Harry Potter-ish!! Mail me for the next chappie, okay?? OMG!!! I'm going to reccomend this to pipol!!! 


	17. Author's Quote

Through A Looking Glass  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"A tale about a Gryffindor who knew it all and a Slytherin who knew better."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Original work of:  
  
  
  
  
  
EiDa  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
---The Little Prince 


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